FROM all indications, Mark Solomon, 36, of Lot 154 Non Pareil Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, a late labourer at Pritipaul Singh Investments Limited (PSI), was trying to do the right thing before he was attacked and fatally stabbed, on Tuesday evening at about 19:00 hrs, following a quarrel with a co-worker over a piece of jewellery which he wanted to be returned to its rightful owner. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement) Mr. Seelall Persaud, investigations carried out thus far revealed that Solomon had had a quarrel with a suspect earlier in the day after a colleague’s gold band had accidentally fallen into the Demerara River and this was observed by both Solomon and the suspect. The suspect then paid a man to dive into the murky waters to retrieve the band and hand it over to him. Solomon saw what had happened, and confronted the suspect, who is also a colleague, to return the gold band to its rightful owner, but the suspect refused, and this upset Solomon. Solomon and the suspect had a physical confrontation, and Solomon was cuffed to the mouth.
Solomon left the workplace, and after the suspect had finished working, he and two other persons reportedly attacked Solomon at Mc Doom, Greater Georgetown, inflicting three stab wounds to his body. Solomon was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
The suspect, now an in-patient under police guard at the same institution, is nursing chop wounds to his hands, including a severed finger. One of his alleged accomplices was also arrested yesterday, and is being held at the Ruimveldt Police Station pending investigations into Solomon’s murder. Efforts are being made to arrest the two other alleged accomplices.
Solomon’s brother, Adrian Austin, yesterday described his sibling as an easygoing fellow who, after serving 24 years in prison, had been reformed and had been kind to everyone.
Austin disclosed that his brother had been much involved in boxing, had represented several organisations, and had not been known to be a troublemaker of any sort.
Austin described his brother’s death as shocking to himself and to his mother, since Solomon had not been into any kind of trouble, and had been working for some time. Austin’s only consolation was that his sibling had lost his life doing good; and he thinks it is only time before the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

There continues to be a decrease in murders during this year, in comparison to the same period last year. A total of 57 murders were recorded at the end of May 2011, as against 51 murders for the similar period this year, thus recording an 11% decrease. Of the 51 murders, 23 were of the disorderly type, two were committed during armed robberies, seven were domestic-related, and three were execution-type; while the other 16 are so far unknown.