Gas station workers shot, robbed during bank ambush

-suspect arrested

Two gas station workers were shot and robbed last evening, while making a cash deposit a banking machine outside Banks DIH on Mandela Avenue.

The two men, Pierre Fordyce and Wazir Mohammed, were hospitalised in light of the seriousness of their injuries. Police, meanwhile, later arrested a suspect.

The robbery occurred at the Citizens Bank banking machine along Mandela Avenue.

Reports are that around 7:45 last evening, the men, both said to be in their 30s, arrived at the Mandela Avenue location to make a night deposit when they were confronted by two men. During the melee, Fordyce sustained a gunshot wound to the groin area while Mohammed was shot in the region of the left side of his chest. Their conditions were listed as stable.

The men were making a deposit at the facility for the Two Brothers Gas station, a witness said.

According to the witness, he was standing across the road from the banking machine when he heard two gunshots.

He said when he looked up, he saw two men lying on the parapet across the road while two other persons drove away hurriedly in a white car. He said persons noted that the two injured men had disembarked the car and were about to cross a small bridge to deposit money, which they had in a bag, when they were confronted by their armed assailants.

This newspaper understands that the police later found the car in which the men escaped at Cool Square in the West Ruimveldt area and one person was reportedly held in connection with the incident.

The car, a Toyota Corolla bearing license plate PHH 3712, was towed to the Brickdam Police Station late last evening.

A security guard at Banks DIH told Stabroek News that he was in the compound of the beverage company when he heard a commotion outside the banking machine as a crowd gathered.

He said that the two injured men lay on the ground, while Fordyce tore piece of his garment and tied the area close to where he was shot to stem the bleeding.

A police vehicle later arrived at the scene and took the men to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where family and friends converged after receiving news of the incident.