Woman slain by gunman
A stop on the Agricola public road to fix a problem yesterday morning turned tragic when a gunman fatally shot a 27-year-old woman after she refused to hand over a bag containing more than $100,000.
Melissa Payne
Dead is Melissa Payne of Lot 56 Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara who sustained a single gunshot wound under her right armpit. Her reputed husband John Fraser also known as David Fraser escaped unhurt but collapsed on hearing of Payne’s death and had to be hospitalised.
The couple was proceeding to Georgetown when they were forced to stop shortly after 8 am when the canter they were in encountered a mechanical problem.
Within minutes and while Fraser, a contractor, was attempting to fix the problem, gunmen who were standing in an old shop across the road came over and menaced them.
One approached Fraser, another went to the woman and the third acted as a lookout. Fraser managed to run into oncoming traffic but Payne was unlucky as a gun had already been pressed against her side and she was commanded to hand over the handbag she was clutching.
From all accounts, the woman attempted to escape and was shot in the process while the men fled through a nearby alleyway with the bag and two gold chains she was wearing at the time.
According to information reaching this newspaper, Fraser had recounted that he was attempting to fix his vehicle when a “big man” with a handkerchief over his nose came up and pressed a gun to his head.
While running away he instructed Payne who was standing a short distance away to hand over the bag and run. However one of the bandits was standing next to the woman and he grabbed her. It was while she was trying to slip away from the bandit that she was shot. Fraser recounted too that he ran up the road and the gunmen shot at him and then ran into a shop across the road.
Eyewitness accounts of what transpired were slightly different. On a visit to the scene, things were calm and the canter truck had already been removed by the police.
This newspaper noticed two van loads of heavily armed policemen coming out of the road leading to the back of the village. A man was in the tray of one of the vehicles. This newspaper could not ascertain if the man was a suspect in the incident but according to reports the three men are known criminals who would attack unsuspecting villagers late at night. They would hide out in an old shop at the entrance of the street and would pounce on persons as they passed, robbing them of valuables and in some cases carrying out sexual assaults. Two of the youths are living in the Agricola while the third is from a community farther up the East Bank but spends lots of time in the village.
“Them man
been watching”
Residents recalled that the canter stopped on the public road between two shops and one of the front seats was pushed forwards in order for Fraser to fix a problem.
Stabroek News was told that the woman was standing a few feet away clutching a bag that was around her shoulder and she was acting uneasy. Residents said that from the way she was behaving the three thieves who were watching on from the shop across the road may have suspected that she had valuables in the bag and in addition she was wearing gold bangles and chains.
Persons recalled seeing the men walking across to the canter, two walked towards the couple while the other took up a position a short distance away.
When one approached Fraser, he immediately ran into the early morning heavy traffic and the woman attempted to run down a nearby alleyway. However she only managed to flee a few feet when a gun was pressed against her side. Reports are that the woman attempted to run but was shot after which the gunman snatched the bag and two gold chains she had on and ran into the village, jumping fences in the process.
Stabroek News was told that none of the men was wearing a mask during the attack.
Following the shooting there was a traffic build-up on the East Bank highway and public-spirited citizens placed the motionless woman in the back of a car which took her to the hospital. There she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The woman’s mother Debora Payne and an aunt were inconsolable when they turned up at the hospital. Debora fainted minutes after she had seen the body of her eldest daughter at the Georgetown Hospital morgue.
Amidst wails the woman said “Who ever did this, they will pay for this. Father God give me strength. Ow Meli, Ow Mel”.
The woman said that she last spoke with Payne on Tuesday about some money she had given to her to bank. Her daughter had promised that she would continue that conversation the following day (yesterday) at home.
Debora recalled that she received a telephone call informing her that her daughter was admitted to the Georgetown Hospital and that she should come immediately. Payne was described by her mother as a kind, loving person.
No faith in police
In light of the rising incidence of gun-related and petty crimes in the East Bank Demerara community residents said that they have lost their confidence in the police as they do not come when there are reports. Instead they would converge on the community when there are “major’ incidents.
According to residents many crimes occur in the village but they do not report them especially since they are being committed by persons who can be easily identified and are around them regularly.
They said that when the wayward youths commit crimes on the public road they flee though alleyways and disappear.
In yesterday morning’s incident police who just happened to be in the area arrived shortly after the incident, but there were no reports reaching Stabroek News of any attempt to track the three men.
One woman said that she had been a victim several times but it makes no sense to report them to the police.
In a release on the incident, police said a warhead was recovered at the scene.
Michael. My dad worked all his life in Barbados. The Bajans asked him to give me the name, Forbes, which he did. i was not named after LFSB. I made sure i got the facts from him, if not I would have changed my name a long time ago. I call a spade a spade. I am happy that I made you use “that name” in civil discourse. I am humbled.
Be proud of your name. There are far more good Forbes, than there are bad ones. It’s also the name of a prestigous company in the US.
well said dude. the people in agricola know who these criminals are, just like the people in buxton knew who the criminals were. people need to understand if they protect criminals eventually these criminals will turn on them.
Bloggers are you listening to yourselves! The following are some of the outrageous and irrational views expressed in connection to this article and some of the solutions and people responsible for the escalating crime problem: Set up a camp in Agricola -Deportees – The country needs to find God – Capital Punishment – Muggers money – Establish a police Death Squad – Out-of-work former members of the phantom squad – CHAIN GANGS – Code of community silence – the Guillotine – Enforce sanctions against these villages. No more deliveries, no more bus service to the villages and no bus – Hopelessness and ignorance – UNLICENSE GUN. – Just to name a few. I am speechless and dumfounded. If these are the solutions to curb crime some of you are more barbaric than the criminals. But I will say this, if this guy has kids with this woman he has a lot of explaining to do. It is said that the true measure of man is where he stands in a time of crisis. This guy flunk that test. He is simply a coward. He is not a man but a mouse. The real culprit here is the lack of opportunities in the country.
Well said “not a flight risk” I totally agree with your last few sentences. Additionally, the devil will continue to find work for IDLE HANDS!!!!!!!!!!
Sad….another senseless killing! Melissa must have felt confused seeing her mate running away.
Villagers need to report criminal activity and shady, unsavory characters. Perhaps you can do so anonymously. And yes, I agree that the Police should set up outposts in trouble-prone areas around the country. They should be proactive – not sit in the stations and wait on reports via phone calls and walk-ins.
My condolences go out to the family.
These animal instinct murders, need to be caught and dealt with accordingly.Guyana is experiencing crime at serious time in the mood of christmas here comes shattered dreams its hard.Remember this God is watching and he is a pleasant friend in time of needs.To Mis.Payne a note of comfort.If he carried the weight of the world upon his shoulder,i know my sister tht he will carry you.
Guyana,a nation crawling with vice and crime. The nation needs to be purged. Cleaned.I have suggested that the government create a Ministry of the Interior, organized along the Russian pattern,to compileth lists of the names of all those persons not gainfully employed, hangers on,drug addicts, pushers, and imprison these people in a sort of Gulag.
yeah, and then they will start gulaging ‘political dissidents’ and ‘impure elements’
when ever the police go into that same village and arrested those youths we in this blog complain that police are racial profiling.Can someone say what the police can do to satisified us?
This crime thing would never stop because there are many who is apoling these scums of the earth.The husband should be ashame of himself for running,i understand he was trying to save his own life, but what about the love for his wife? guyana is getting from bad to worst with this crime situation you don’t know if you are safe in any part of guyana. The government really needs to take a serious stand on what is going on. the same way the hunted down fineman and skinny the same way they can get these criminals so jacdeo administration i hope you are reading all of these bloggs, take it to heart, andmake a change, my condolences goes out to the berieved family.
Debbie, my condolences to you and the family. I received the call this morning and I am still numb. At this moment we all have to keep on praying for improvement of this horrible situation in our country. When things like these happen we all have an openion of what one should have done and what must be done. For me, I will continue praying for you and the family to pull through this tragedy and in some way the government find a solution to this problem. There are lots of suggestions been made right here and I cannot agree more with TRUEGT. STOP SIMPLE AND KEY SERVICES TO THE VILLAGE AND SEE IF YOU GET SOME SORT OF COORPORATION. I THINK IT MAY WORK.
the police should gun people like them down because they see people lives like nothing for there own things