The decomposed body of a man with bullet wounds, believed to be the one the police were pursuing last Wednesday, was yesterday morning found by two brothers in a trench that borders North Ruimveldt and Lamaha Park.
Police sources on the scene yesterday said that a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) identification card indicated that the body was that of Private Wilford Heyligar. Last night, the army issued a statement saying that the identification card was issued to Private Heyligar while he was a member of the Second Infantry Battalion Reserve. “The Reservist was not enlisted as a regular soldier but was, however, disembodied from the said Unit in 2008”, the GDF stated.
Though the body is yet to be positively identified, it appears to be that of Heyligar based on his movements as described by relatives. He has also not been seen since the incident.
Stabroek News understands that the body, which was bloated, bore a gunshot wound to the jaw and one to the hip. Last Wednesday morning the police had discharged a volley in a desperate bid to capture a man who was said to have shot at them and it was believed that the man escaped into Lamaha Park.
However, from all indications while the man may have been attempting to escape into Lamaha Park he succumbed as he attempted to cross the trench and his body remained there ever since.
Stabroek News spoke to some relatives in the area where the man had reportedly stayed for a few months before he was asked to leave “because he get involve with some people in the area”. According to a man, who said he was Heyligar’s uncle-in-law, he told him that he could not remain at his address if he continued with certain behaviour. The man moved out but they would see him from time to time in the area.
When contact was made with Heyligar’s mother, who gave her name as Colleen, she said the last time she saw her 19-year-old son was last month.
As far as she knows her youngest child was staying with a family friend in Den Amstel on the West Demerara. She said that last Wednesday the friend called her and told her that a friend of the young man visited them and borrowed some jewellery from him but later invited Heyligar to travel to Berbice with him.
“She said since then she called he cell phone and it going straight to voice mail,” the woman said. Yesterday morning the Den Amstel friend called her and told her that one of her son’s friends contacted her and told her that Heyligar’s body might have been found.
According to Heyligar’s mother her son had joined the army but she was a bit hazy as to whether he was still a member.
“He went in the army but when he come home they didn’t send back for him,” she told Stabroek News. And while she said her son was working while staying at Den Amstel she could not say what work he did.
The woman said she was suffering from a number of medical complications and was unable to travel to Georgetown to identify her son’s body.
And attempts to have the family friend identify the body proved futile as the woman upon hearing that the young man had died took ill and is now said to be hospitalised.
Relatives said they would travel to the city today to identify the body.
Scores of policemen converged on the scene where the body was found early yesterday morning but it was not removed until after lunch because of its location. Several persons in the area also gathered nearby and remained there until the body was removed in the hope of catching a glimpse of it.
According to one of the boys who found the body, he had noticed it since Friday in the trench but initially thought it was a dog. The child’s father has a farm on the land between the two trenches that separate North Ruimveldt and Lamaha Park and he said it was yesterday when he and his brother were walking on the farm that they realised that it was the body of a human.
He said the body, which was clad in a red jersey, had been attacked by two dogs as it was close to land. The lad said the man’s face was not recognisable.
Last Wednesday the police said the man dropped his .45 pistol and several rounds during the commotion. There has been no official word from the police as to what the man was wanted for but minutes before the incident ranks had converged on a house at Cul-de-Sac Street and after conducting a search found him at the back of the yard. On seeing the police he reportedly discharged two rounds at them before dropping his weapon and fleeing
Three young women including one with a baby and two boys were taken into custody for questioning. Yesterday when Stabroek News approached persons at the address they refused to comment.
And even as the police were investigating yesterday’s find, some of the ranks on the scene were also seen running after a man who had turned up on the scene. Reports are that the man may have been the one the police wanted on Thursday but even as the police were discussing how to corner the man some persons on the scene quickly alerted the man and he hastily escaped.
Ranks on foot, one on a borrowed cycle and some in a vehicle gave chase with scores of residents behind and some even in front of them but the man had already made good his escape.
WHAT’S NEXT? THEY SHOT AT SOMEONE AND NEVER INVESTIGATED ANY FURTHER? SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE, BUT THEN I AM NOT IN GUYANA, THANK GOD.
As usual, this so called article is meanderring and repetitive with stale padding at end and depending on allegeded relatives’ talk.
This item deserved one paragraph. Here it is: ” Body of male involved in shoot out with disciplined forces found in trench. Inquieries are continuing including who will pay for taxpayers funded bullets that possibly brought him down”.
Editor, that’s Journalism 101.
End of story…
Many unanswered questions surround this latest episode of almost daily death in Guyana. I don’t expect to get straight answers from the police.
Chranic and HENCN didnt even report this story.
This is a good story good story SN, massive reporting, big up on the detailed report!
reddy as usual you are over your head again. when will you start thinking for yourself and write a blog; then again you might be incapabable of developing a thought. the article should read “body of male alleged to have been involved in shoot out”. with people like you working for guyana,guyanese can see no light at the end of the tunnel.
Have nothing to say.
Even if you say something it is consecutively nothing.Nobody knows how you do this.So you just might as well say something.
This shows that many in the gdf are involved in criminal activities, in or out of the gdf.
I’m with you on this one amenra. Criminals wearing uniform
in the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force and
taxpayers paying them to serve and protect.
Amen to that.
How much more confirmation do they need?
FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE POLICE IS ON TO A NEST OF THIEVES.
SN FOLLOW UP THIS STORY.
When you start down the slippery slope of lawlessness…..the Govt using drug dealers and rogue cops/soldiers to operate outside the ‘LAW”…..this is what happens……it was prevalent during the 60s-80s in many South and Central American countries…..the enlisted ranks…..trained in the use of weapons….see an opportunity to get rich…..just like their superiors are doing.
You are absolutely on the money Blackrattlesnake when you cross the line of a legal govt getting involved with illegal elements to so called get rid of the “bad guys” this is what happens.
You cannot have a govt hand in hand with drug dealers and then tell the lower ranks hey behave yurself and get inline.
It just doesnt work like that. The PPP is now reaping all that they have sown of the dark 17 years.
It has been about 10months now since I have been and there has not been an incident oabut the GDF & GPF that I did not mention the types that are the forces and the fringe BENEFITS that they have joined for this has been happening since in the mid ’70s.
COMANDERS OF STAFF,COMANDER IN CHIEF, THE WHOLE BAND AND BAND MASTERS WHAT YAÄL WAITIN FUH? Any body and any name attached to these forces “ÏS BAD NEWS” The PUBLIC who these dishonest Rouges have harmed and the citizens that the GOG has rejected and turned their backs they are the ones that govt officials whoud have to turn back for HELP.jagdeo, lunchoen, rohee,best an greene YAÄL EYES ENT CLEAN YET?
citizens encouraging criminals to escape, that is the end result as the one in the trench.
live by the gun u die by the ???????????.
They discharged rounds like peas, they saw traces of blood, they assumed that the perp was hit, they were scared to go after him so they cowardly returned to base. No problem.
What about returning to the scene at daybreak to continue investigations? This man could have been found alive and with medical attention survived to tell the police where he got the weapon from, who are his associates and face the music for the crime he is alleged to have committed.
What happened to the two helicopters…..one ’supposed’ to have floodlights for night work????
Black- The helicopters are being use to transport the “big shots” in the government.
EX GDF.’If’ is a big question.Be a realist, not a suppositionist.Do not delve on IF.It can never solve you anything in this life.By the way, I wonder why you left the GDF.
CAESAR AGUSTUS, I served my contract and moved on. By the way, my comments were not based on if, they were based on what the operational procedure IS. You shoot at a fleeing bandit at night, he runs into the bushes, you cordon off the area and search. It is night and you are concerned for your safety, then wait for daylight. As one blogger said, where the hell is the helicopter with hightec equipment?
EX GDF, what years did you serve and in what branch?
Good point Ex very good point, I thought these hi-tech helicopters had infra red technology etc. I guess that was a load of hog wash from the PPP as usual.
In addition, don’t they have a canine unit to chase these people and try and locate them?
Ridiculous man ridiculous, PPP has mismanaged this country like you wont believe.
With these criminals being either in the army or ex army folks how can Best and Jagdoe holler that Lindo creek was not done by the military?
Shame Shame Shame
Brandon don’t we all know the answer to your question?IF YOU DOAN WAN BLAME AN i DOAN WAN BLAME YOU? IS NAT BE-KAZ WE GAAT SOMETIN IN KAMAN OR WE GAT SOMETIN FU HIDE?
P.S
FELLOW BLOGGERS I HAVE RECEIVED A HEAR SAY ABOUT OUR Mr. Mcbean but is awaiting publication from SN them I will tell what I heard. Does the program “THE MAN IN THE STREET”still exist? if it does SN go pick some A dem mout an I gon pick dee brain a “DEE HUMAN PON DEE ROAD”
The head of the GDF needs to convene a panel to find out the cause for this recent upsurge in criminal activity by members within their ranks lately.
The head of the GDF need to be given his walking papers,
too mush wrong things took place since he took over as
chief of staff SWAT.
SWAT, you are right they should have an independent body, doing the investigation.
Swat this criminality was there for ages,I have mentioned it many,many times but SN does not find it necessary to publish them.MOST OF THE MODERN DAY CRIMINALS ORIGINATES FROM THE SECURITY FORCES.
badman nah flee.Luck run out for this one,let the others take note the life of a criminal is sweet but ends painfully.
Witch we need to start going after the other criminals who pilfering from the state in the same manner. Thoughts?
cackaroo I agree.A total transformation is needed in some GOV agencies but this requires a strong leader,this where I think Jag failed.Jag needed his strongest ppl in the most demanding positions,i don’t think this was met.So let’s see what happens 2011.
Some Agencies? some? budday the corruption and cronyism is all over from top to battam, left to right everywhere gat corruption and tiefin.
You ever go in pradoville and see dem house dem man gat deh?
Some of dem chap dis couldnt buy bicycle when I was living in Guyana.
People who couldn’t read and write are now dis chairman and dat chairman. i know for a fact a man pun de west coast used to go by mi pardna old man house fuh get him to write memo and ting.
Dat guvament need complete overhaul, piston, cylinder, rod all ting need change deh budday.
I would like to know who is going to sort out who? These people not only have skeleton in their closet; the have TONS of it,thats why no PROPER INVESTIGATION is being conducted they have all gotten “A FINGER IN THE PAP”
Well is is going to protect and serve us now when the biggest criminals are the GDF and the GPF aways look at the people who are a part of these too institutions the I dont want to work hard but get richers. But you know who i blame i blame the auto dealers because everybody in Gt right now want drive a Raum so some dont care who the got to kill to get de money
Valetich, don’t post nonsense because this space is free.
How can you blame the Auto dealers, when people have a choice to choose which path the want to walk in life. Some choose to work, while others choose to become criminals.
Thought for the Day
“It is difficult to say what is impossible,
for the dream of yesterday
is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.”
~ Robert H. Goddard
Witch you going back to vote in GY or what?