New Amsterdam man’s throat slit on New Year’s morning

Jan 03, 2013 News

…assailant hospitalized after sound thrashing

The New Year’s celebrations of a New Amsterdam family were cut short with the news that one of their own was seriously wounded.
Chris Burrowes, 39, called “Bully” of Alexander Street New Amsterdam and a dental technician, was on Tuesday morning around 06:00 hrs slashed across his throat by a man who is a deportee from the USA and who was said to be a one-time friend of the victim.
Burrowes was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital, and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit where he remains a patient in a critical condition.

Chris Burrowes

His assailant Hansel Andre Lewis, called ‘Smiley’, 33, of Angoy’s Avenue was moments later arrested at home, but not before being taken out of his bed and given a severe beating and had to be rescued by the police.
He was hospitalized, but was subsequently released and is in custody at the Central Police Station. One of Burrowes’s siblings was arrested and is also in custody.
According to reports Burrowes and his assailant were among groups of persons imbibing and ushering in the New Year outside a popular bar on Republic Road, New Amsterdam.
Information is that the two men had an old grievance which reignited during the night. According to information, persons who were around, tried to get the men to go their separate ways.
According to an eyewitness several persons tried to prevent the men from fighting, but to no avail. The eyewitness said that Burrowes did not want Lewis around and unsuccessfully tried to get him to leave.
Another eyewitness stated that after a while all he saw was “blood spraying from “Bully” throat and the man holding he neck.”
He said that Burrowes started to walk back towards the bar staggering and walked into Charles Place where he collapsed in front of his parents’ home which was not far from where they were imbibing. Burrowes told relatives that “Smiley did this to me.”
Lewis in the meantime walked away and went home. According to Burrowes’s brother, Stanley Ramsammy, he spoke to his brother who is the third of eight siblings earlier in the night in the vicinity of the bar which is not too far away. He said that he left and went away. He was greeted with the news later that his sibling’s throat was slashed.
He stated that the family wants justice for his brother. He said that despite his brother might have some bad habits, no one has a right to take a weapon and slit his throat. He said that the family is still grieving over the death of another brother, Trevor Kissoon, a taxi driver whose battered body was discovered on the Number Seven Public Road, East Coast Berbice.
The matter is currently engaging the attention of the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court and is expected to be called again on January 12.
After Burrowes collapsed holding his neck from which he was bleeding profusely, his family tried desperately to assist him by wrapping it with bed sheets. Police who arrived on the scene rushed Burrowes to the New Amsterdam Hospital where emergency surgery was performed.
Owner of Rainbow Generation Bar, Tony Cadogan, stated that both Burrowes and Lewis were banned from entering his premises due to past incidents.
“They were not drinking here; they were outside.” He stated that earlier they men were in a scuffle.