The men who raked several vehicles on Middleton Street on Wednesday with bullets killing one man made a clean getaway despite mobile police patrols responding “quickly”, a statement from Eve Leary said yesterday.
None of the survivors has been able to recall seeing any of the gunmen who staged the attack and are just thankful for their lives. Gunmen opened fire at a police checkpoint set up at Middleton Street, Campbellville killing 21-year-old Arjune Narine, a travel consultant, and injuring Larry Gursahai, Jean Singh, and her son Mark Semple.
Police in the statement revealed that twenty-one .556 and eleven 7.62 x 39 spent shells were recovered at the scene.
The police have said that investigations revealed that police ranks had stopped the driver of a motorcar along Middleton Street after it was observed that the headlights of the vehicle were defective. Police said motorcar PGG 3465, driven by Mark Semple with Jean Singh in the passenger seat, which was proceeding in the opposite direction, was also stopped by the police. This resulted in Arjune Narine who was driving motorcar PGG 8089 and Larry Gursahai in motorcar PFF 7586 having to stop as they were travelling behind, the statement said.
While the police were carrying out their investigations, armed men who were along Drury Lane opened fire killing Arjune Narine and injuring Mark Semple who was hit to his right hand, Larry Gursahai who was hit to the upper right side of his back and Jean Singh in the upper right side of her back.
Police said mobile police patrols responded quickly to the report received but the armed men managed to escape.
The police also clarified that the rank who was dealing with the motorists was dressed in uniform and not in plain clothes as this newspaper had reported an eyewitness as saying in yesterday’s edition.
Larry Gursahai who sustained a gunshot wound was resting comfortably at his home, though still shaken by the event. He underwent emergency surgery on Wednesday night to remove the bullet and was discharged early yesterday morning. Jean Singh and her son Mark Semple who were grazed by bullets in the back were also treated and sent away from the medical institution.
Recounting the incident to this newspaper yesterday, Gursahai said he left home sometime after 9 to take his friend home and was driving down Middleton Street and was waiting to pass three vehicles which seemed temporarily parked and a police officer in uniform appeared to be verifying the documents of the driver of a Scarlet turbo. “It seemed as though the police was on a routine check but the distance between that car and the police car parked just opposite was not wide enough for me to drive past and so I hold back so he could turn out,” the man said.
“The next thing I see is his head lean backwards and rapid gunfire and I just duck my head and start driving and the policeman come at the side of my car and he told me ‘open, open is police’ and he jump in the back seat and tell me drive, drive to the station. But I turn into De Abreu Street and I stop the car and come out and he continued driving and he went to the Kitty police station,” the man recounted. He said a taxi then took him and his friend to the hospital. The man’s friend was unhurt.
The man said he had no idea where the gunshots came from but stated that he only realized he was shot when he started to feel a burning in his back.
“I didn’t see the gunmen and I can’t tell you which direction the bullets came from because as soon as I hear the sound I just bend for cover,” he said. Gursahai told Stabroek News too that he could not identify the policeman if he saw him again since the place was too dark. His bullet-riddled vehicle is still in police custody.
Over at the home of Jean Singh and her son Mark Semple, there was a sense of calm and throughout the ordeal they too kept their heads down, and are unsure too which direction the bullets came from.
Semple told this newspaper that his car was first in the line of two others and the police officer was checking his documents when the gunfire erupted.
“I don’t know where the shots came from but we duck our heads and it lasted for about two to three minutes and we didn’t raise our heads right away,” he said. A bullet grazed his left arm while his mother was grazed in her back. He said after they raised their heads the police officer was nowhere in sight.
The victims have given statements to the police and are also awaiting the release of their vehicles.
That Rank IS CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE for the death of an INNOCENT LIFE. Instead of stopping the car for defective head lights he should have stopped the vehicle the gunmen were in as they were right there. It amazes me to see Police harassing innocent drivers for simple stupidness instead of looking for and finding the real bandits.
I’ve read this story from the inception it was printed and I must say this is really messed up that innocent people can lose their lives so easily. My condolences go out to the young man’s family and to the people who survived. Go on and live your life giving God thanks you’re able to wake this morning breathing the air he provides. Anyway this story really seems as if the police was the target,and to be honest I think it’s either the criminals were on a rampage and were just looking for the perfect victim who turn out to be a cop but instead an innocent man got shot and lying in a cooler now, or they thought that he was conducting inspections on all vehicles on that road and knowing they had weapons on them they decided to stop that search before it got to them.
Either way these killers must be stopped. Guyanese are afraid and we don’t need to be. People of Guyana please do your part and give the info the police need to stop these people and to the police please investigate your members and get rid of the spoilt fruit in the basket so justice can be served. I will continue to pray because I want to visit my home without fear.
zimbo_khan: Could you please tell me how the police officer would have had any idea that the car behind the one that he stopped had armed men in it?
My question now for the one in charge of the police force: What was this officer doing alone at a check point? I read about a month ago that an advisory went out stating that no officer should be alone at any checkpoint when on duty, but should be in the company of three or more officers.
If this officer had the so-called back-up that was supposed to be there, the outcome of this situation might have been totally different which might have led to the apprehension of those bandits!
De only ting dat clear up in me mind after reading today’s clarification/expansion of dis story is dat de officer (leh we call ‘e de lone ranger) was in uniform as de man who car he commandeered recounts.
Hear what still stands out to me;
1. De lone ranger was still de lone ranger, to wit, ‘e ent had no backup and ‘e created a roadblock.
2. Me know Middleton street and dat is not a really narrow street. If as de official account states, de lone ranger see a man wid defective lights pon ‘e vehicle and pull ‘e ovuh, how come de lone ranger had fo do it in such a way as fo block de free flow of traffic pon dat street? You mean ‘e had fo stop de man in de middle of de road fuh defective lights?
3. De lone ranger blocked access in both directions on dat street so ‘e did, in effect, create a roadblock, ‘e alone, single handedly.
4. De lone ranger, afta he realize dat bullets deh flyin, dis same man who suppose to protect and serve we, jump in a man who get shoot car and demanded dat de man drive ‘e (de lone ranger) to de police station. Afta de man stop ‘e vehicle and jump out, de lone ranger tek over and drive ‘e self to de station, leffin de injured man standing up at de side of de road. De injured man (Arjune) had now fo find a taxi fo tek ‘e to de hospital.
To my mind, de lone ranger now deserves an amendment to his title… ‘de cowardly lone ranger’. Also his personal logo, ‘To Protect and Serve’ should also be amended to, ‘To Protect and Serve, as long as me life ent in danger’.
SWILLIAMS, That is not the point here. The point is the government are sitting pretty doing nothing, innocents are getting killed and we as guyanese are allowing them to evade their responsibility which is to protect the people of the country. The longer we take to bicker over foolish issues, the more we are going to be burying our sons and daughters.
For 5 years I resided at 224 Duncan St, a few buildings west of Middleton St. I have never seen a police road block or check point set up on minor roadways such as Duncan St. or Middleton St. This certainly was no check point. It seems like a lone offiicer who was apparently broke, looking for somebody to strike up a deal with. Was the officer on duty? All the witnesses so far have claimed that it was a lone officer stopping drivers. This area has several bars and night clubs, including the popular “Ministah’ Bar”.
Mainlandweb
optimistic pessimist, man ah agree wid yuh.
Now write ah story ’bout dis so we culd stage it fuh de television.
Nuff nuff laugh deh hay.
Would that we have the “No Big Ting” show back on air.
[[oopps!..my apologies to the relatives ]
My condolences to the young man’s family and to the others, thank God for your spared life. I think that the gunmen were right there and just decided to shoot , to get away. Why the policeman was:
Alone ???????
Where are the helicopters with the night vision??
How many more need to die before the Government and Police get organized??
The politicians drink wine and champagne whilst their people are sacrificed. Dr. Jagan was warned about this 18 years ago when indications were that inappropriate politics were pursued.
Wonder what next?????