POLICE were yesterday investigating the two shooting
incidents in Kitty, Georgetown on Wednesday evening which left
five persons dead and at least 10 others nursing gunshot wounds.
Eyewitnesses described the latter attack as probably the most
brutal since the escalation of high-profile criminal activities,
including execution-style murders, in recent times.
Police in a statement yesterday said the first incident
occurred at Craig Street, Campbellville at 18:35 hrs. when
Delroy Gomes, a 19-year-old businessman, was gunned down in
front of his home by bandits in a burgundy-coloured motorcar.
The second incident occurred about 18:45 hrs. at a popular
liquour restaurant at Pike and Lamaha Streets, Kitty where four
persons were shot dead and at least 10 others, including the
Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Denis Hanomansingh, were
wounded.
According to the Police, four gunmen emerged from a car and
opened fire on the patrons in the shop, leaving popular national
race-car driver Gavin Narine, 42; businessman Lloyd Singh, 48;
Singh's sister, Joy Arjune, 38; and Fazeer Baksh, 20, dead.
Wounded were Hanomansingh, who was shot in the shoulder, and
Mr. Beharry Dookie, also known as 'Nathoo', proprietor of the
business place. They were both treated at a city hospital and
sent home.
Among those also wounded were Mr. Deon Clarke, Assistant
Commissioner of Police Kenneth Barran and Senior Superintendent
Balram Persaud.
Joy Arjune.
Those wounded and still hospitalised were yesterday said to be
in stable condition.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that Narine was celebrating his
birthday at Nathoo's with friends shortly before 19:00 hrs. when
the four gunmen sprayed the place with bullets.
Arjune of 106 Thomas Street, Kitty and a former Manager at
the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), was not a
frequent visitor to the business place and had just gone there
last night "to have a drink"
She was reportedly invited over to Nathoo's by her brother,
Lloyd.
According to a relative of the deceased, Lloyd called his
younger sister on the telephone around 18:20 hrs and invited her
over to the shop for a drink. She immediately left, telling her
14-year-old daughter, Michelle, who was at home with her at the
time, that she will be back in an hour's time.
It is understood that Joy's husband was in the interior and
he has since been contacted by the family and informed of the
tragic news. Joy also has another daughter, 16-year-old
Veronique.
Lloyd, who lived at 115 Section 'C' Enterprise, East Coast
Demerara, was said to be the owner of a fishing boat and into
the fish-exporting business.
The siblings' grandmother, Sarah Singh, 84, said that Lloyd
and Joy and her other grandchildren were all decent and
law-abiding citizens.
Their mother, 67-year-old Bibi Singh, could not control her
tears yesterday as she recalled to the Chronicle how wonderful
and loving her kids were to her.
She noted that she had seven daughters and one son and Lloyd
was her third child, while Joy was her last.
The ailing woman, who lives alone in a small and modest home
at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, said that of all her children,
Lloyd was the one who checked her out regularly, almost daily,
to make sure she was okay.
With tears streaming down her face, the woman recalled that
on Wednesday morning Lloyd visited her and gave her money and
kissed her on her cheeks.
"He does mind me because I'm a stroke case and is he
looking after me and I ain't know how he and he sister can meet
in this dilemna," she lamented.
It is understood that Lloyd's wife, Wanda Hercules, and their
two children, Lolda, 12, and Vidal, nine, recently went to the
United States to reside due to the current situation in the
country.
Bibi said her son went to the U.S. about two weeks ago to be
with his family, but despite them persuading him to stay with
them over there, he decided to return home to look after her (Bibi)
and the fishing business.
Wanda and the two kids were expected to arrive in Guyana
sometime yesterday.
According to Bibi, her daughter-in-law decided to migrate
because "she frighten to pass Buxton".
When the Chronicle arrived on the scene on Wednesday night, a
huge crowd had already gathered at the bar.
There was blood almost everywhere inside the bar - on the
tiled floor, on chairs and on the walls.
According to reports, the dead and wounded were among several
persons who were socialising at the time in the bar when the
gunmen made their entry, opened fire with their sub-machine and
AK-47 assault rifles, and left.
The dead and wounded were subsequently transported to
hospitals by ambulance and private vehicles.
As news of the shooting spread, friends and relatives of the
dead and wounded and some Government officials hurriedly made
their way to the bar and later to the Georgetown Public Hospital
Corporation where the dead persons and most of the wounded were
taken.
Persons identified as being on the scene during the shooting,
including a barman, were visibly shaken and tight-lipped.
One man said that after the shooting he saw "bodies
lying everywhere and blood all over them. It look like if was
about 15 people lying down there."
The shootings at Nathoo's were preceded by the fatal shooting
of Gomes by two men toting machine guns and travelling in a
burgundy car.
Reports said the men pulled up at the house and asked for the
young man's father who is known as `Zapper', but he was not at
home.
Gomes went outside to speak with the men and according to
reports, they were seen questioning and manhandling him before
opening fire and escaping.
He was reportedly shot five times.
A top police officer yesterday said investigations were
continuing but there were still no leads regarding Wednesday's
brutal shooting spree.
Friday, September 27, 2002
