– three charged, five killed, crime chief says
One year after 11 men, women and children were brutally gunned down in their Lusignan homes, the investigation is still open with three suspects before the court, five killed in separate confrontations, and according to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud one on the loose.

Today marks the eve of the first anniversary of the events that sent shock waves through that East Coast community and all Guyana. It was in the wee hours of January 26, last year that a large band of gunmen invaded five homes riddling the occupants with bullets.

Giving Stabroek News a police update on the massacre, the crime chief said that subsequent to the incident, a suspect who is still at large was arrested in relation to other matters.

According to Persaud, at that time police had no idea that the man, who is suspected to be a member of the Rondell `Fineman’ Rawlins gang and who is no stranger to law enforcement, was a part of the gang that invaded Tract `A’ that morning.

From all appearances the suspect was not a long-standing member of the notorious gang that had been blamed for numerous high profile crimes across the country.
Police at the moment are reluctant to divulge information about the suspect as this may put him on the alert.
Persaud further told this newspaper that investigators believe that apart from the three persons charged, five others who were part of the gang that carried out the attack on the East Coast village have been killed.

He gave their names as John Eye, Rondell `Fineman’ Rawlins, Cecil Ramcharran called ‘Uncle Willie’; Robin Chung called ‘Chung Boy,’ and Otis Fifee called ‘Mud-up’. Like these five, the three charged – James Anthony Hyles, called ‘Sally’, of 70 Friendship, ECD; 21-year-old Mark Royden Williams, called Royden Durant or ‘Smallie’ of Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara and a 14-year-old boy of Strathspey Squatting Area, ECD, are known to be members of the gang.
Following the killings, the media were told that a gang of about 20 men carried out the attack but according to the numbers given by the crime chief, investigators believe that nine gunmen were responsible.

Forty-eight year-old Clarence Thomas, his 12-year-old daughter Vanessa Thomas and his son Ron Thomas; 32-year-old Mohandai Gourdat and her two sons: four-year-old Seegobind Harrilall and ten-year-old Seegopaul Harrilall; 22-year-old Shazam Mohamed; 55-year-old Shaleem Baksh; Seecharran Rooplall, 56, his wife Dhanrajie Ramsingh, 52, and their 11-year-old daughter Raywattie Ramsingh, lost their lives during the attack.In addition two other members of the Thomas family, Roberto and Howard Thomas suffered serious gun wounds to their bodies and were admitted to the Georgetown Hospital.

The killings at Lusignan had come mere hours after gunmen in a car launched astonishingly brazen attack on Police Headquarters Eve Leary. Observers had expressed belief that that assault was a diversionary ploy to focus the security forces’ attention in the city while the criminals created terror on the East Coast.
The murders sparked heated protest action along the East Coast and at Bath Settlement, with many calling for justice, which lasted for several days.