A 23-year-old welder known as “Short Man” has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of 15-year-old Aarif Azeez at the “Hot and Cold” Lake on the Essequibo Coast.
Shemar Smith of Adventure, Essequibo Coast, appeared on Friday before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court, where the indictable charge was read to him.
He was not required to plead. Smith was granted $750,000 bail, and the matter was adjourned to April 30, 2026.
The charge stems from the death of Azeez, which occurred on Monday, April 6, at the “Hot and Cold” Lake at Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast.
Police had initially said the teen, a student of Adventure, had gone to the lake with friends and was operating a jet ski when he allegedly fell into the water at about 4:30 p.m. and disappeared. His body was recovered the following morning.
But the case quickly took a dramatic turn after Aarif’s family challenged the police account and insisted the teen’s injuries pointed to something far more serious than a simple drowning.
In a public statement, Aarif’s relatives said the jet ski he had reportedly been using showed damage on its right side, while his body bore severe injuries, including fractures to the right tibia and femur, facial trauma, and blood from the nose and mouth.
They also questioned the reported location of the jet ski, claiming it was found a considerable distance from the area where Aarif was said to have fallen overboard.
According to the family, a post-mortem examination conducted on April 7 found that Aarif died by drowning due to multiple injuries, which they said were linked to a heavy impact to the right side of his body.
The family has also accused Region Two police of mishandling the investigation, alleging that key witness statements were not properly taken and that major questions surrounding the incident remain unanswered.
They have been calling for the case to be removed from Regional Division Two and handed over to the Major Crimes Unit in Georgetown.
Those demands came as relatives argued that the evidence did not support the version initially given to the public and that the circumstances of Aarif’s death required a deeper and more credible investigation.
