Father kills four children and five others in knife attack

PARAMARIBO – The Suriname government has declared Friday as a day of national mourning following the tragic incident that occurred on Sunday in the Commewijne district where a 42-year-old man killed nine people, including four of his own children.

The man, Dennis Aroma, later committed suicide, while in police custody.

In a statement, the Ministry of the Interior said that Friday is intended to express sympathy and solidarity with the families of the victims, their bereaved relatives, and Surinamese society as a whole.

It said that flags on all public government buildings, as well as on vessels flying the Surinamese flag, will be flown at half-mast from 6:00 am (local time) to sunset and that businesses and citizens are urged to observe the day of mourning.

The government said that all radio and television stations are being asked to adapt their programming for that day to reflect the sober and respectful atmosphere that befits a day of national mourning.

Police said that Aroma was found hanging in his cell on Monday morning after he had been  discharged from the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP) on Sunday evening and transferred to the cell house at the Centrum police station, where he was placed in an observation cell as a precaution.

They said the 42-year-old man had been shot  by law enforcement officials who had gone to the Commewijne district located on the right bank of the Suriname River, on Sunday after receiving reports of the murders.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect was a mentally disturbed person, who had  had been arguing over the phone with his wife, who  he had been separated from. The conflict centered on picking up the children after the woman reportedly indicated that she did not want to come to the address herself and would send someone else to pick them up.

After this conversation, the suspect became completely distraught, allegedly attacked 11 people with a knife killing nine victims, including his own children. Neighbours who came to help were also stabbed. Two of the victims, including the man’s  eldest daughter, have since been hospitalised with stab wounds.

Meanwhile, psychologist Headly Binderhagel, says Aroma’s  death is not an isolated incident, but a warning sign pointing to fundamental shortcomings in oversight, decision-making, and accountability within the judicial system.

“A suspect in police custody cannot leave, cannot seek help, and has no control over their environment. That’s precisely why the government has a responsibility to actively protect that person’s life, regardless of the severity of the crime,” says Binderhagel.

He said the fact that the suspect sustained gunshot wounds during his arrest makes the case even more serious and that the man was not only a detainee, but also a patient. Medical treatment alone is insufficient in such a situation.

Binderhagel rejects the idea that suicide in custody is inevitable, saying “a suicide in a police cell is not fate. It’s a warning sign that cannot be ignored.

“This isn’t a matter of pitying a perpetrator, but of remaining true to the core of the rule of law,”’ he said, adding “anyone who dismisses this incident as a tragic detail misses the point: not only a life was lost here, but also a piece of constitutional credibility…that cannot be restored with silence, but only with openness, responsibility, investigation, and reform”.