Authorities are investigating the death of Leevorn Stanford McGarrel, also known as ‘Shortman’ or ‘Hacket’, a 54-year-old sluice attendant employed by the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary/Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) and a resident of High Dam, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.
The incident occurred between the evening of Wednesday, June 5, 2024, and the morning of Thursday, June 6, 2024, at Farm/Woodlands, West Mahaicony.
According to McGarrel’s son-in-law, Llavar Welch, both men worked at the same sluice, overseeing the water flow in the canal and the Mahaica River, but on separate shifts. McGarrel began his shift at 18:00 hrs on June 5. The following morning, at around 06:40 hrs, Welch arrived at the sluice to start his shift and discovered McGarrel’s body beneath the sluice counterweight, a three-ton boulder.
A police report suggests that initial examination revealed visible crush injuries. McGarrel’s body was subsequently transported to the Mahaicony Hospital, where a doctor confirmed his death.
The police have launched a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
