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Man critical after Lombard Street shootout with cops

A man who was shot by police allegedly during an armed confrontation on Lombard Street early yesterday morning is currently a patient of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Hospital, while his accomplice is in custody assisting with investigations.

Maxwell Parris, 29, of D’Urban Street is in a critical condition at the medical institution having sustained gunshot injuries to the left forearm and abdomen. He was taken to the operating theatre shortly after his 3.50 am arrival.

While the circumstances of the shooting is unclear, this newspaper was told that it is suspected that the men were involved in a robbery and were chased by police through Harold Street, Werk-en-Rust, which links High and Lombard streets.

A press release from the police said that around 3.40 am ranks responded to a reports of two men being seen on the roof of Foo’s General Store building at Lombard Street , Georgetown. On arrival at the scene, the release said, the ranks came under fire from one of the men and they returned fire hitting Parris in the process. He was admitted to the hospital, while the other man has been arrested and is in police custody.

When Stabroek News visited the area several hours after the shooting business was in full swing and several persons were aware of the incident. One woman said that a security guard working in the area told her that he heard a barrage of gunfire and just lay flat on the floor of his guard hut. She said that from what she was told the injured man and several others were involved in a robbery but were challenged by the police on Harold Street. The woman added that after the gunfire had subsided, the police whisked the injured man away from the scene, while the other man denied being involved in any wrong doing. There were no reports reaching this newspaper that any store in the area had any breakages or that items were stolen. The woman added that more that two men were involved in the incident and when the police left the area, the others came out of their hiding places.

Meanwhile armed robberies and petty crimes are a daily occurrence on Lombard Street and this has been the case for several years.

A woman working in the area told this newspaper that the thieves have become so brazen they were committing gunpoint robberies during the day. She recalled that just recently a woman was walking along the road around 8 am talking on her cellular phone when she was stuck up at gunpoint and relieved of the phone and the money she had.

She recounted another case where a heavily pregnant woman was robbed. The woman said more and more the criminal elements were flocking the area to rob people of things they have worked hard to earn. Because of the street’s reputation, police constantly patrol the area.

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One Response to “Man critical after Lombard Street shootout with cops”

borntwice
on July 22nd, 2008 11:07 am

It is very sad to see young people get shot by the police but you have to fight fire with fife. Sadly at the end of the year the stories would be slanted as to say how many young men got shot by the police but no reference would be made as to how many were armed with a gun putting the police in a position to defend themselves. You see the criminals do not value their lives and in that case it makes your live much less value to them.

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