AN Ithaca, West Bank Berbice family was thrown into a state of grief following a fatal cutlass fight between a father and son on Sunday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Collis Joseph called “Underdog”, a cane harvester and cattle farmer of Lot 114 Spencer Street, Ithaca.

He was dealt a fatal blow to the chest by his son, Roshane Joseph, called “Johncrow” following an argument over the use of a bicycle.

The incident occurred at approximately 07:30 hrs at the Lot 82 Morgrie Street home of the younger Joseph.

According to information, for several years, the father and son would be involved in heated arguments which would, from time to time, turn physical.

On Sunday, however, the father saw his son at the shop with a juice and other items in his hand and went up to him and destroyed the items he was holding.

An argument then erupted between the two with both threatening to kill the other. Moments later, the father left and turned up at his son’s home armed with a cutlass.

The Guyana Chronicle was told the father was warned by Roshane and his younger brother, 17, to go home but he stood with the cutlass in front of the house, verbally abusing his sons.

“Them boys lock themselves in the house and didn’t come out. After that he (Collis) left and jump the back fence, someone see he and call out to Roshane saying that he daddy coming from the back, so he (Roshane) rushed out the house with the cutlass too,” a relative recalled.

During the confrontation between the father and son, the father threw his cutlass to his son which missed him and ended up in a trench.

Roshane, on the other hand, pelted his cutlass towards his father which struck him in the region of the chest.

The relative, who asked not to be name, continued: “Collis fall to the ground and start pant for breath and when they turned him over, they see the cutlass bore he and his heart punch out.”

The son, who committed the act, ran from the scene but was arrested at around 13:00 hrs. He remains in police custody as investigation continues.

Collis was picked up and rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Toannia Wayne, 41, the mother of Roshane, told Guyana Chronicle that her husband and son were always at war. She said for many years she felt her son tried to protect her from his abusive father.

“Every time my husband drink he does cause problems, he does beat me bad and my son does say go to the police for he; when them fight and me try to help, nobody listen,” the mother related.

She added that even though her son had moved out, every time they (father and
son) see each other, the two get into an argument.

The mother described the incident as unfortunate.