This young criminal pulled the trigger twice at me at point blank range

Dear Editor,
On Easter Sunday at about 8.25 hrs, while walking south along Cummings Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, my life changed forever.

There was a time when I questioned the gunning down of young African males most of whom were accused by the police of having guns in their possession or discharging rounds at the police before being shot. If anyone had told me that this staunch defender of Africans in Guyana would be the subject of a stick-up, I would have said it was impossible. After that experience of having two guns pulled at me while being robbed, I have come to the conclusion that the police in Guyana are more often right than wrong.

As my wife and I passed Second and Cummings Street, Alberttown, two young African males greeted us with a good night, I did not respond but she did only to be greeted with “Don’t make a ‘f’…ing move give me all yugat.”

Sensing danger while we were stopped and seeing one of the gunmen  go to his waist, I whispered to my wife that this is a stick-up. I quietly told her to run which she did only to stumble, falling heavily not so far away.

At that time I shouted for help but to no avail. It was at this shout that one of the two gunmen wearing a white hair cap, pulled the trigger twice as the gun snapped. For a brief moment I froze but was brought back to reality in a split second when the shorter one whipped out his gun and pointed same at me.

Could I have done anything at that point? No! I simply put my hands up telling them that I gave up. “Take what you want.” They took my jewellery, wallet containing a substantial sum of local and foreign currency, two cell phones and all the money I had in the other pocket.