NORRIS Dundas Vanderstoop, 20, of Epson Village, East Berbice, Corentyne, lost his life after he intervened in a fight at the River Club Hotel and Bar in neighbouring Suriname on Tuesday evening. According to Guyana Chronicle’s sources in Suriname, at around 19:47 hrs, a fight started between two groups of Guyanese fishermen at the River Club Hotel and Bar, formerly known as Stardust Hotel, in Paramaribo. The hotel is frequented by mainly Guyanese fishermen who ply their trade in the neighbouring country.

The source revealed that Norris, who was the occupant of an apartment, saw one of his friends being assaulted and intervened. As he tried to pull his friend away from the fight, he was stabbed multiple times about his body. Vanderstoop was rushed to a hospital in Paramaribo, but died before he could receive medical attention. Following the incident, some 20 persons were arrested the said night, and are still in custody, while nine persons were hospitalized, nursing injuries about their bodies. It is unclear what started the fight between the two groups of men.

Meanwhile, an older brother of Norris, Leroy Vanderstoop, 26, said the family is in a state of shock and disbelief following word of his death. Norris, for the past four years, has been operating between Guyana and Suriname, and would normally return home at the end of each trip. However, he was unable to do so for the past year, due to the lockdown of the Surinamese borders as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Norris was described as a quiet, humble and very hardworking individual.

The relatives of the deceased are calling on the authorities in Guyana and Suriname to bring the perpetrators to justice.