Reports from Bartica suggest that there was a survivor from the stelling stage of the February 17 killings, which left 12 persons dead.
A well-placed source told this newspaper yesterday that as the gunmen were preparing to leave Bartica after completing two robberies and killing several persons, they approached the stelling and called out to seven men, who were on board two boats. The source said one of the men was ordered by the gunmen to run for his life and he might have dived into the river.
This last statement was contradicted by other sources, however, who said they believed the man opted to try and escape by jumping into the river.
This newspaper was told that the gunmen then ordered the other six men to lie face down on the stelling and executed them.
Deonarine Singh of Wakenaam; Ronald Gomes of Kuru Kururu; Ashraf Khan of Middlesex, Essequibo; Abdool Yasin; Errol Thomas of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and Baldeo Singh of Montrose, East Coast Demerara, were shot execution style at the Transport and Harbours Stelling.
“I don’t think these six men were killed because they may have seen the faces of the men and so may have been potential witnesses. Because if they really wanted to just kill them for that reason, they could have just shot at them at random,” the source said.
“The fact that they called out for these men, put them to lie down on their faces and then shot them, bothered me and convinced me that there was something more to those particular killings.”
The source was sure that there were seven persons all together in the two boats that were docked at the Transport and Harbours Stelling that fateful night.
“Whatever these people are up to, the fact that these guys were killed in this fashion should raise eyebrows,” the source said.
Sources at Bartica had earlier suggested that had the six men not been killed, they might have been able to point out the get-away route of the gang to the Joint Services.
Some Barticians have also since come to the conclusion that the boat which was found at St Mary’s and which might have been used by the gunmen in their get-away bid, may have been set drift to mislead investigators. They also believe that some of their own aided the gunmen in a number of ways, including in the provision of vehicles.
Recollecting the attacks prior to the stelling murders, the source told this newspaper that the gunmen had split into two teams and one group had gone to the house of the officer in charge of the Bartica station. This newspaper was told that the men had already acquired the police vehicle at that time but when they called out for the officer, they got no response.
“I do not think that he was home, but they did not go into the house and after they heard nothing they departed,” the source said.
By that time, the other group of gunmen had gone to CB&R Mining where they shot dead a security guard before escaping with 12 rifles and a quantity of gold, its proprietor Chunilall Babulall confirmed to this newspaper during a visit to the community two days after the attack.
The company’s security guard, 72-year-old Irving Ferreira, was shot and killed by the gunmen. They had asked him to open the gates to the business place. He obeyed and then his head was placed in a freezer and shot with a high-powered weapon.
The other persons killed in the attack were Bartica residents Edwin Gilkes; Dexter Adrian; and policemen stationed at the Bartica Police Station, Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir and Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne.
This event as well as that of January 26 in which 11 Lusignan residents were gunned down in their homes, has left government and law enforcement officials searching for answers. However, no substantial arrests have been made. A 19-year-old man has since been charged with the Lusignan murders.
Wanted bulletins have also been issued for six men who the police believe may be able to assist with investigations into the Bartica and Lusignan murders. To date, one of the men, Delroy Jack has turned himself into the police.
The bulletins which this newspaper saw on Wednesday last, name Cecil Simeon Ramcharran also known as ‘Limpy,’ a man known as ‘Magic,’ another known as ‘Chung Boy,’ one called ‘Mudup,’ and another for whom no name or alias was given, as wanted by the police.
Meanwhile this newspaper understands that the six Barticians who were being held by the police and who were subsequently transferred to the city have since been released. The police were said to be working on the premise that the gunmen may have received help from persons within the community. A police source told this newspaper that the owner of the engine found in the getaway boat was taken in for questioning and also released. The man was reportedly arrested somewhere on the East Bank Demerara.
