A suspect in the murder of George Barton and wounding of his teenage daughter Anika at Laing Avenue in March was apprehended early yesterday afternoon, a high-ranking police official has confirmed.
While details of the arrest were sketchy, the official assured this newspaper when contacted around 3:30 yesterday afternoon that Aman Lalchand, also known as Randy had been arrested a few hours earlier.
The official said too that Lalchand was wanted in relation to several other matters before the court.
Police had issued a wanted bulletin for the 22-year-old Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara resident, on April 1.
Law enforcement authorities had said that in the bulletin that he was wanted for questioning in relation to investigations being conducted into the execution-style killing of Barton.
Asked about a call that was received by Barton to go to a Laing Avenue location, the official said GT&T was contacted to have the call traced, but to date there had been no feedback from the company.
A relative of Anika told Stabroek News yesterday that the teen was now stronger and that her knee, which sustained three bullet wounds, was working much better.
The relative, who did not want to be named, said that while the teen was walking on the injured foot she could not stand for long.
Following the incident, the girl’s relatives had said that they feared for her safety and that fear increased with the issuing of the wanted bulletin.
They had vowed to keep her protected at all cost, even keeping her indoors if necessary.
On March 20, Barton, a Charlestown resident received a telephone call and in the company of his daughter went to Laing Avenue. As the two made their way through the street just after 8 pm, a car with four men pulled up alongside them. One of the occupants shouted “B”, referring to Barton, before opening fire on him. He was shot in his back, neck and legs. The car drove up a little and turned around and a gunman armed with a much smaller gun fired several rounds at the teen hitting her thrice in the knee and once in the buttocks. Reports are that seconds before she was shot, one of the occupants of the car had said that she had to be killed too.
Relatives took a decision to remove the teen from the Georgetown Hospital after a few days, following a suspicious encounter with a strange man, who went to the ward the teen was in some time after visiting hours had ended.
Relatives had issued pleas to the law enforcement authorities to act swiftly on the information they had so that those responsible could be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
