What was supposed to be a happy occasion turned into a tragic event when 30-year-old Chavez Mangal was stabbed to death during his sister’s wedding at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara just after midnight on Sunday.
Chavez called ‘Chucky’ was a Corporal and a medex attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); the News Room understands that he was stabbed to his upper chest and arm by four men armed with knives and cutlasses.
The suspects also attacked and stabbed two others – a guest at the wedding and the disc jockey (DJ) – who was also robbed of his Mac Pro Book laptop valued at $130,000. The DJ is a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Police Headquarters reported that one of the suspects was arrested; two knives and scissors were found in his possession. Police said the suspect had visible injuries and he claimed that he was attacked at the wedding house.
Mangal lived with his parents at Enterprise, ECD. His father, Dharmindra Mangal – a cash crop and poultry farmer – told the News Room that the death is a great loss to the family and community. Mangal was the third of four children; he was the only son of his parents.
“It is really hard, very hard for me, he was my only son,” Mangal told the News Room.
The father wants justice for his son. He said Chavez joined the GDF in 2012 and would also help him with the farm.
“I glad if the Police Force do a good job for me and give me justice,” the elder Mangal said.
Mangal explained that the four suspects arrived at the wedding house and started to tease some girls who were dancing.
“They started to pick trouble and one of my nephews said y’all can’t interfere with these girls and my son go up and said: y’all don’t fight here, y’all go on the road,” a tearful Mangal recalled.
According to him, the four men got upset and started to throw bottles at his son; it resulted in a physical altercation and it was not until the four suspects left that Mangal realised that his son was stabbed.
The newly married couple rushed Chavez to a private hospital in Georgetown but he succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.
The police, however, released a different version of events to the press, claiming that suspects were imbibing at the wedding house when one of them approached the DJ to inquire about the music.
Police said the music stopped and guests at the wedding gathered at the DJ booth to see what was happening and that is when they saw Chavez being stabbed.
One of the guests at the wedding confronted the suspects and he was also stabbed to his left hand.
Police said the suspects threw bottles at the house and escaped.
