-was accused of near fatal wounding

A Berbice River man was discovered dead in his home with a single gunshot wound at the back of his right shoulder.

There are reports that Vivian Walker, 26, of Sand Hills, Berbice River, was murdered although information coming out of the area is sketchy. He was found at around 9 pm on Wednesday.

Stabroek News spoke to a resident of Tacama, Berbice River by telephone last evening and he said that he had seen the body. He said the he was passing the area yesterday morning in a boat when he heard that Walker was murdered. He said he saw the body “in a small house in the savannah” lying face up in a pool of blood.

The man added that a lot of people had gathered at the scene but no one was saying anything about how the murder occurred.

In a press statement, police said that the force is investigating a report that Walker’s body was found in his home with suspected gunshot injuries. A team of police officers had been dispatched to the area to conduct investigations.

Walker was facing charges of felonious wounding at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court. He had been placed on $100,000 bail but that amount was reduced to $50,000 at another hearing.

He was wanted by police for severely chopping 18-year-old Deon Denhart of Hofwerk, Berbice on his back and left hand on September 7. He turned himself in one week later to the village captain.

Denhart, who was a patient at the New Amsterdam Hospital for almost two months, had told this newspaper that was afraid that he would not be able to use his hand again. He had said that after he was chopped he took about eight and a half hours to get to the hospital where he was finally able to receive treatment.

Denhart had recounted to Stabroek News that the incident occurred when he confronted Walker over reports that he had stolen a belt and pants belonging to him. The two men fought and Denhart said his attacker swore revenge. Later as Denhart was walking along a lonely road he felt a chop on his back. He tried to bar a blow with his hand and it was almost severed. He ran for his life and later sought medical treatment with the help of others.

His mother Lynette Denhart told Stabroek News “my son nearly died. He chopped him and left him like that…” She said since the incident they have already spent over $600,000 on transportation, drugs and food.