A 23-year-old man who reportedly acted suspiciously when he saw a policeman on Longden Street yesterday was shot in the knee as he attempted to flee the area.
Junior Johnson was taken to the Georgetown hospital for treatment around 3 pm. When Stabroek News arrived at the hospital Johnson was clad in a bloodstained, three-quarter length pants and his left knee was heavily bandaged. He was awaiting treatment outside the X-Ray Department. Johnson declined to speak with this newspaper about the circumstances surrounding the incident but later said that he was in pain. A uniformed policeman was nearby.
A police press release last night said that acting on information received that the suspect was armed, police confronted him “and he was shot in the leg”. The police added that a .25 Beretta pistol and 1 kg 744 grammes of cannabis sativa were found in a haversack. The police added that charges would be instituted shortly.
Meanwhile, when this newspaper visited the East Coast bus park area where the shooting had taken place it was buzzing with activity as persons were making their way home. Eyewitnesses said that earlier in the afternoon policemen dressed in navy blue uniforms and riding motorcycles had been in the area.
One boy said that a policeman parked his cycle on Longden Street and when Johnson who was heading north, saw him the man started to run. From reports this newspaper received, the man continued running north and attempted to dodge the policeman. The rank discharged a round at Johnson but he kept running. Another shot was discharged in his direction, this time hitting him in the knee.
Another eyewitness said that Johnson ran across from Longden Street into the second half of Commerce Street, when he was shot. The man recalled hearing only one shot and he said that the shooting occurred a few feet away from him. No one in the area could say why the man was shot.
