FOURTEEN-year-old Dexter Marshall of 35 Two Friends Village, Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara, a pupil of the Lancaster Secondary School, was electrocuted early Sunday morning while on a merry-go-round contraption in his home village. The Guyana Chronicle was told that an exposed wire may have caused the lad to be shocked.
Speaking with this publication from her Lot 42 Clonbrook home on Sunday morning, Joan Pollard, the dead teen’s grandmother, explained that it was just after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning when she was awoken from her slumber by the loud wailing of her daughter Zephine Pollard, as she made her way through the street.
Her daughter informed her that she had just received news that Dexter was electrocuted while on the merry-go-round. Shortly after, a taxi arrived and took her daughter to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where her son had already been taken by persons who had witnessed the incident.
According to Joan Pollard, this is the first time that a merry-go-round had been set up in the village. According to what she had been told, minutes before the ordeal, her grandson had been asleep in a chair, but some other boys began pelting him, causing him to become awake; whereupon he purchased a ticket for one hundred dollars, joined the ride, and was electrocuted, never regaining consciousness.
She has been informed that, as Dexter was being shocked, those around him thought that he was gimmicking, and left him to be shocked for several minutes before realization hit home that the teen was in distress. It was not until another lad had informed the merry-go-round operator that Dexter was being shocked that he decided to disconnect the contraption from a point being shared by the music system. Dexter was consequently flung from one of the horses on the ride, and reportedly landed on his neck.
Residents in the area said that other persons had experienced slight electrical shocks from the ride earlier in the evening, but when this was conveyed to the operator, he had ignored the information and continued doing business collecting monies from persons who wanted to join the fun.
Residents said the operator was not from the village but was married to a villager, who, ironically, is the cousin of Dexter’s mother.
Meanwhile speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Zephine Pollard said she was not aware that her son was dead as a result of the electrocution. It was only after she had visited the Georgetown Public Hospital and had seen his lifeless body in the morgue that she realized that he was dead.
When this publication spoke with her just after noon on Sunday, she said she was yet to be visited by the police or by anyone responsible for the merry-go-round. The woman said she would not allow the matter to rest, as she had been informed that the fun ride was being operated without permission, and was allegedly illegally receiving electricity at the time of the incident.
A post-mortem is likely to be performed on Dexter’s body tomorrow, to determine the cause of death.
Zephine Pollard said she had sent her son to purchase ice cream for his other siblings on Saturday evening before he left for the village fair.
When this newspaper visited the scene of the incident on Sunday, it appeared normal and everyone on the premises operated as if nothing dramatic had occurred. Grown men were seen gambling while others took the time to relax and socialise, or do things that belied the tragic death of a young villager.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday that no one had been arrested in relation to the matter. The officer explained that it was not possible for that to be done because there were, and continued to be, conflicting reports surrounding the incident. He added that the doctors at the hospital explained to police officers that there were no signs of burns consistent with electric shocks.
The officer added that statements were taken from several persons in relation to the matter, but the police would not be in a position to lay charges until after the post-mortem had been performed.
Dexter is survived by his parents and several siblings.