Father of Three Killed After Neighbourhood Dispute

By Mark DaCosta- A quarrel between two women over noise in a shared Berbice home ended on Friday night with a father of three dead and a neighbour in police custody. The killing shows how ordinary friction in our country can turn lethal. It also echoes the warnings of former President David Granger, who called interpersonal violence a national concern that laws alone cannot cure.

Police in Regional Division Six say Vernon Morgan, 44, a labourer of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, lived on the ground floor of a two-storey building with his 29-year-old wife and their three children. A 55-year-old seaman and his wife occupied the flat above. Earlier that day the two women had reportedly argued over disturbances from the upper flat. Mrs Morgan is said to have left with the children and later returned.

At about 19:20hrs, investigators say, the dispute passed to the men. A scuffle allegedly turned into an attack with a knife and a cutlass, leaving Morgan wounded on his abdomen, back and elsewhere. He was rushed to the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital but died while receiving treatment. His body awaits a post-mortem examination. The suspect was arrested and is assisting with investigations. No charge has been reported, and he remains presumed innocent.