Police are looking to the Director of Public Prose-cutions (DPP) for advice on pronouncing definitively on the Woolford Avenue shooting incident involving Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys.
Police sources told Stabroek News that one more statement was being sought before the file is sent to the DPP. That statement should have been obtained by the end of yesterday.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that the magistrate, a former police officer, could be slapped with charges related to the gun and to the injuries Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Corporal, Mark George, sustained during last Thursday’s shooting as early as today.
Under normal circumstances, the shooter can be charged with discharging a loaded firearm with intent and/or felonious wounded or attempted murder.
Meanwhile, George was still in a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Hospital yesterday.
Gilhuys in his statement to the police said, that around 22:24 hrs on Thursday, while proceeding west along Woolford Avenue, he stopped to answer a call of nature. He said that as he was about to re-enter his vehicle he observed a vehicle slowly approaching from a westerly direction with high-beam lights.
According to him, he was unable to see the vehicle or any of its occupants and as such entered his vehicle.
The magistrate told police that an “unidentifiable young male” emerged from behind the bright lights with a gun pointed and using expletives, commanded him to get out of his vehicle.
According to Gilhuys, he identified himself as a magistrate and the man while raising the gun to his head, responded that he did not care and commanded him to get out of the vehicle.
He said that fearing that it was an execution attempt, he reached for his firearm and as he did, the man started firing at him.
Gilhuys said he returned fire and started driving west along Woolford Avenue, immediately proceeding to the Brickdam Police Station where he got out of the vehicle and observed several bullet holes on the right side.
The police said in their statement the day after the incident that a police patrol had noticed a heavily tinted vehicle parked on the street and stopped with a view to making checks.
There was a verbal exchange and the driver, the release said, discharged rounds at the police officers hitting Corporal George adding that fire was returned and the vehicle was hit but the driver who turned out to be Gilhuys managed to drive away.
On the night of the shooting, Gilhuys had refused to lodge his gun at the police station and left in a taxi. His Rav 4, with several bullet holes was left at the station.
George was rushed to the hospital with a gaping gunshot wound to his chest. He underwent emergency surgery and was admitted.
