Jean Le Blanc, the Canadian man who was wounded during the bullet-riddled murder of Ricardo Rodrigues on October 15, died yesterday at the Georgetown Hospital after a rapid deterioration in his condition, raising questions about his security and the sudden cause of his death.
Le Blanc had been shot in his buttocks and also suffered a fractured hip in his bid to avoid the bullets but had been in a stable condition ever since his admission to the hospital 12 days ago.
Contacted by Stabroek News yesterday for comment, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud was initially unaware of the man’s death but later confirmed that Le Blanc took ill sometime on Thursday night and was pronounced dead at around 11 0’clock yesterday morning. “I am surprised based on what they (the investigators) said. Police interviewed him yesterday (Thursday) and he was in high spirits. He was talking about going back home,” Persaud told Stabroek News, adding that a post-mortem examination will have to be done to determine how he died.
In a brief statement, police later said “Le Blanc succumbed to his injuries.”
Le Blanc was a patient of the High Dependency Unit of the Georgetown Hospital and sources there told this newspaper that the man lapsed into a coma before he was pronounced dead. Up to Thursday afternoon, he had been conscious and appeared to be good health.
Persaud as well as several hospital officials expressed shock at the man’s passing, since based on reports from the institution, he did not sustain any life threatening injuries.
Le Blanc was shot in the buttocks and the bullet was later removed. He also sustained a fractured hip when he tried to dive for cover after gunmen stormed the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) at Thomas Lands and opened fire.
Rodrigues died at the scene while Le Blanc and two other men were rushed to the Georgetown Hospital nursing gunshot wounds.
A source told Stabroek News that efforts were being made with the police to have the man’s passport returned to no avail. At one point, the hospital was refusing to allow certain persons to visit the man. The source said that when he heard of the death, he was shocked because based on the information he got Le Blanc was doing well.
Following the shooting, the Canadian had expressed his desire to return home to seek advanced medical care but this was hindered by the fact that the police had taken possession of his passport and a substantial amount of his Canadian currency.
Asked about this yesterday, Persaud said that the police kept the man’s passport because they wanted to ensure that he was interviewed before he left the country. “We wanted to know if he was a suspect or a victim,” he said adding that the passport remains in the custody of the police. He could not say what had become of the money that police had taken from the man. Up to the time of his death, Le Blanc had not been under police guard.
Reports are that just before 3pm on October 15 a group of gunmen, numbering about four or five, walked into the sports bar and shot Rodrigues, 40, called ‘Fatman,’ several times. He was the clear target of the attack.
Le Blanc had told Stabroek News that he was in Guyana on vacation and ended up at the GMR&SC after a taxi driver who was chauffeuring him around the capital recommended it.
Rodrigues’ killing, according to sources, may have been linked to a “weapons for drugs” trade that went sour.
Rodrigues’ bodyguard remained in police custody up to late yesterday afternoon. He had turned up with his lawyer on Thursday. Persaud said yesterday that the man disappeared after the shooting and police made several checks at his house for him, to no avail.
In the meantime, Mark De Abreu, who is wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting, has not surfaced.
According to a wanted bulletin released by police, De Abreu’s last known address is Lot 66 Broad Street, Charlestown, Georgetown.
Rodrigues had close ties with convicted drug lord Shaheed Roger Khan, who is currently serving a sentence in a US jail. Over the years until the time of his death, Rodrigues had been implicated in drugs and gun related crimes but was never charged.
Days before his death, police released him on station bail 24 hours after he turned himself in for questioning in connection with a cache of arms and ammunition that was found in Lethem. In that case, police had issued a wanted bulletin for Rodrigues and his cousin Clive King. King remains at large, with reports indicating that he is hiding out in Brazil.
