A 37-year-old Cuban national was allegedly stabbed to death at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara, on Tuesday night, and a 38-year-old compatriot who shared his room is in police custody.

Police in Regional Division 4B said the dead man, Lazaro Yasmany Izquierdo Duarte, a labourer, was stabbed about 9:45pm at the building where he lived. Preliminary investigations indicate that he and the 38-year-old shared a room on the lower flat of a two-storey building.

Another occupant reportedly heard a loud noise and found Duarte lying in a pool of blood in the hallway with several suspected stab wounds. The 38-year-old was standing nearby with a knife in his hand. The occupant alerted others in the building, and the matter was reported to police.

Police ranks found Duarte unconscious and escorted him to Diamond Regional Hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead shortly after midnight on Wednesday. His body was taken to Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, where it awaits a post-mortem examination.

The 38-year-old was taken to Golden Grove Police Station, where he was handed over to police and placed in custody. He remains there as investigations continue.