Family members of 23-year-old Joseph ‘Joshua’ Ferdinand, who was killed during a row with a colleague on Monday, are lamenting the poor community environment and lack of opportunities for youths in poverty.
Ferdinand, a construction worker of Friendship Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was on Monday evening stabbed to death by someone he knows. They were reportedly arguing over the victim’s aunt.
The suspect, who was beaten by residents following the stabbing, is currently hospitalised under police guard.
In an interview with INews, the victim’s mother, Zioni explained that Ferdinand is the eldest of her nine children and while he worked hard for an honest living, the young man kept bad company. From all indications, the suspect is reportedly a work colleague.
“This man where my son does be at, is not a nice place, and they have a lot of juveniles there popping pills, and smoking weed and drinking rum actually every night. The police does be going in there, we does see the police going in there, but we’re not seeing anything being done because police know what does be going on at this man place,” the mother contended.
She highlighted that her son, because of his quiet nature, would always be taken advantage of by his colleagues.
“ Is not the first time something happen to my son there. A couple weeks ago, a boy walk in the shop and slap him in his face; they picking up he things; if he deh sporting they drinking it out; they taking all advantage on he. And he does come home and tell me he does can’t do nothing because there is where he does work,” the mother lamented.
The woman further lamented that many times, her son would not get paid for his work, and would go home hungry and without a cent in his name.
“The man that he does work with, they does always work him and owe him and leave him hungry and he does gotto come home to me and ask me for food without a cent and he is the biggest one in my home. I have a daughter right now, she has a colostomy, it’s very hard on me, it’s very hard,” the mother expressed.
Recalling the evening her son was murdered, Zioni said Ferdinand was stabbed whilst defending his aunt’s honour.
“All I get the message at home that my son get jook under his heart and he gone to the hospital, when I gone to the hospital the doctor said that he come without a life in his body…what I get to realise is that my sister and the boy [suspect] had a talking and he come and tell the boy “why you troubling my aunty” and I don’t know if he push the boy I wasn’t there, but to me knowing like push he push the boy and the boy pull out the knife and push it into him.”
Ferdinand was stabbed twice – once to his upper left chest and once to his lower left chest.
He was picked up by residents and escorted to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival. But according to his family, Ferdinand was left on the road to bleed out long before residents decided to take him to the hospital.
Meanwhile, it is alleged by the now dead man’s family that the suspect is known for committing other offences but he was never charged.
As such, the family is hoping they get justice, noting that they are “poor” and that they do not have the financial means to put much effort into ensuring justice prevails.
