The 19-year-old labourer who allegedly chopped 54-year-old farmer Wilfred Kippins, resulting in the man’s death, is still in police custody as ranks await the return of the file from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) instructing the way forward.
This was confirmed today by Police Commander of Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara), Assistant Police Commissioner, Simon McBean.
However, investigators were able to ascertain that the teenager had tried dodging attacks from the now dead man, and subsequently armed himself with a cutlass that he had found inside of a canter truck he had been hiding in.
According to a police source, Kippins and the youth had an argument on Easter Monday but the older man’s wife intervened, and the row ended.
Hours later, during the course of the night, the 54-year-old farmer left his home in search of the 19-year-old and walked a mile from his home to locate him.
While walking along the roadway, Kippins mistook another youth for the 19-year-old and wounded that individual but upon realizing his mistake, he continued his journey and left the injured boy on the road.
The now dead man subsequently found the 19-year-old and proceeded to physically assault him, however, the youth quickly ran from him, and jumped inside of the vehicle to hide.
Kippins reportedly pursued the young labourer and entered the canter where he is said to have continued physically assaulting the boy.
According to the police course, this resulted in the teenager grabbing a cutlass that had been laying inside of the vehicle and using it to deal chops to Kippins’ body in an effort to prevent the man from further injuring him.
Forty-minutes after the incident took place, Kippins’ spouse received information that her husband had been lying on the road bleeding.
An alarm was raised and an injured Kippins was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, West Coast Demerara (WCD), but later taken to the Woodlands Hospital in Georgetown by his family members.
Despite valiant efforts by the medical staff treating him at the private health facility, Kippins took his last breath around 06:45h three days ago.
A report was made to the Parika Police Station, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), via telephone and some five hours after being made aware of the situation, police ranks arrested the 19-year-old suspect.
