The GPL security boss who was gunned down on Monday morning while removing illegal power connections in Lamaha Park was being closely watched for some time by four men before two of them pounced on him and another colleague resulting in at least three bullets being pumped into his body, according to sources.
Stabroek News was told that two of the men were sitting in a tree while the two others were sitting below the tree and one source believes that they were all working together because as soon as the shooting occurred, the two in the tree disappeared along with the two involved in the shooting. It is believed that they live in the area.
“I don’t know what the two men in the tree was doing but I now think dem did involve two,” Stabroek News was told by the source who was on the scene at the time. Persons are convinced that the security chief, Clifford Peters, was killed because of the work he was doing even though the gunmen did relieve him of his jewellery after shooting him.
They feel that the men were watching the group and waited for an opportunity to pounce as it was only after two of the four GPL employees left the area that the men launched their attack.
And while the police said the two men had a confrontation with a colleague of Peters resulting in his intervention, this newspaper has been reliably informed that Peters was in the fact the person attacked and his colleague had gone to his assistance.
Peters was shot in his neck, chest and about his body while he and three other colleagues were removing illegal connections from Lamaha Park. The retired police superintendent was rushed to the Davis Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Yesterday persons close to GPL were convinced that the perpetrators behind the crime would be apprehended as they pointed out that persons in the area must know who the men are as no strangers would enter the area to commit such an act.
“They have to know, as a matter of fact the police are already receiving some leads on the identities of those men and they would be found and brought to justice,” a source told Stabroek News.
This newspaper attempted to speak to Peters’ colleague, who was with him at the time of the shooting and who was named in both the police and GPL releases on the shooting, but the man declined to speak stating that his name being published in the newspapers has now endangered him and his family.
“I don’t really care about me but I care about them,” the man said as he pointed to his two young daughters. “The situation out there is very dangerous and by publishing my name people can now find me just as how you were able to find me people can do that too,” the man lamented.
Meanwhile, sources told Stabroek News that four men were involved in removing the illegal wires when the attack occurred. Two of them had left with some of the illegal wires for the company’s parked mini bus and Peters and his other colleague were picking up the remaining wires.
“When out of nowhere this man come and collared Peters,” the source told Stabroek News. The newspaper was told that there were no words exchanged between the two but Peters put up a fight even though by then another man had appeared and had his gun trained on Peters and his accomplice. Peters’ clothing was torn during the scuffle and it was upon seeing the attack on his colleague that Peters’ work mate attempted to go to his rescue.
However, reports are that before the colleague could have gone to Peters’ rescue he was ordered by the man with the gun, who used expletives, to lie on the ground and he followed the order. As Peters continued to scuffle with the man who attacked him he eventually fell to the ground and it was at this point the man called out to the gunman to “come and shoot he! Come and shoot he!” Peters was then shot several times and his colleague reportedly used the opportunity to escape.
Police escort
GPL employees, who operate in the Loss Reduction Field Service team, yesterday said they were shocked at the brutal manner in which Peters was killed.
They said while their job is a dangerous one as persons are always hostile when they are removing the illegal connections they never thought that it would have resulted in one of their own being killed.
According to reports, usually the workers are told to seek a police escort when going on such exercises but on many occasions they would go about their duties without any such escort.
“Many times you would go to the station and they would tell you they don’t have any rank to send with you. But you have a job to do and even though you know that you should get the rank as it is a form of protection you would still go without the rank because you need to do your job,” one of the employees told Stabroek News.
It was stated that on many occasions guns were pointed at workers but the trigger was never pulled.
“You know how many times gun point at me and I would look at them and tell them is either they shoot me or allow me to do my work,” the employee said. And on many occasions employees not only the Loss Reduction Field Service team but also those who disconnect lights because of non-payment of bills are attacked by persons but there were never any serious injuries sustained.
In March of 2007 GPL was forced to issue a release reporting that there were several attacks on contracted agents carrying out disconnections.
The release had reported attacks on them as well as damage to the agents’ properties by defaulting residents. One of the incidents included a veteran agent being chopped several times by a resident of Alexander Village after he disconnected a power supply. Additionally, that attacker had broken all the windows of the vehicle transporting the disconnection crew.
Another incident had occurred in North Ruimveldt, where a resident entered the contractor’s minibus to protest her disconnection. The driver drove the bus into the compound of the East La Penitence Police Station and reported the incident. However, the company reported that it was the driver who was subsequently taken into police custody for several hours.
“These are serious times we are working in but we have a job to do and I would continue to do my job, I am not going to be intimidated. Those who shoot Mr Peters would be brought to justice”, an employee said yesterday.
Police last evening said that they are continuing their investigation into the shooting of their former colleague.
