By Svetlana Marshall

AN EARLY morning accident at Diamond, East Bank Demerara has left Disc Jockey (DJ) Wavel “Bashment” Sabsook of Lot 196 Somatta Point, Grove, EBD dead, and his friend Shamir Ally injured. Reports reaching Guyana Chronicle indicate that the 31-year-old Sabsook and his friend Ally, who was driving at the time, were proceeding to Grove at about 03:00h on Sunday when the vehicle in which they were travelling became uncontrollable and toppled several times before bursting into flames near the Distribution Services Limited (DSL) outlet at Diamond. Sabsook was flung from the vehicle and died on the spot.

Family members and friends gathered at Sabsook’s home to comfort his mother, Bibi Sabsook. “He was my only child,” Bibi said as she fought to hold back tears. The DJ, well known by his street name “Bashment”, had left his mother and daughter at home on Saturday morning with the promise to return early. He never did.

“He left yesterday morning to go across the river to do some work for somebody,” Bibi said, while explaining that when her son was not working as a DJ, he did electrical and technical work, such as fixing AC units and other equipment.

After returning from Region Three, Sabsook met with Mohamed at Third Street, Grove. It is unclear how they spent their afternoon, but Bibi believes that drinking was involved.
Nevertheless, up until the accident happened, Bibi was of the opinion that her son might have gone to accompany one of his friends to DJ at a wedding or social reception.

“I woke up and he didn’t come home as yet, so I assumed that somewhere had some wedding or something. And as a man with music, even if it is not his music set playing, he would go and fall in with the other guys; so I went back and I lie down,” she said.

Shortly after 03:00h on Sunday morning, Bibi heard loud shouting: “Bashment live hey!? Bashment living hey!?” voices asked. Though hesitant at first, Bibi rushed through the door after being informed by the man and woman who had come that her son was involved in a serious accident.

“As they said that, I opened the door and I just rush out, and I said he died; that is what I said.”

Neighbours were quickly alerted, and Bibi rushed to the scene, where she saw her son’s body covered with his shirt lying motionless in a pool of blood. The police were already on the scene, and she requested to see his remains.

“I raise up his shirt and I know it was my son lying there,” Bibi said.

According to Bibi, the driver of the car was taken to Diamond Regional Hospital for burns he had sustained to his body. However, he was subsequently transferred to another hospital in the city.

“The driver was drunk. I am not saying my son wasn’t drunk too; but young people these days, they going to party, if it is not girls is liquor,” the woman posited.

Sabsook leaves to mourn his mother and four-year-old daughter. Thirty-three- years ago, Bibi had lost her only daughter in an accident that occurred in July. The doctors had ruled that Bibi would be able to get another child; and so, when she conceived Bashment following the death of her daughter, the family had rejoiced with her.

“Tell young people (to) serve God!” Bibi told Guyana Chronicle at the end of the interview, as she broke down in tears.