A Kitty man was fatally shot yesterday by a childhood friend who had accused him of stealing his bicycle days earlier.
Police are still looking for the suspect who fled the area after the early morning shooting. The suspect’s girlfriend, who was reportedly found packing clothes to take to him, was later arrested.
Troy Smith, 34, of Lot 108 Thomas Street, died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen before he reached the Georgetown Hospital, where he was rushed after the shooting. His relatives said that the incident stemmed from a bicycle theft but according to police it was a motor cycle that was the point of contention.
Police said the suspect confronted Smith at his residence and later shot him in the abdomen before escaping.
At the scene, about an hour after the incident, calm had resumed in the area. From all accounts, Smith was called out of his home and was shot at close range in a passageway leading to his yard, shortly after 7am.
His sister-in-law, who declined to have her name published, recalled that she heard a single gunshot. She said that minutes before, Smith was called from the home by the suspect. According to the woman, Smith was barefooted and clad only in his underpants when he was shot.
She added that the suspect lost his bicycle three days ago and Smith was among a group that was helping to find it. She told Stabroek News that yesterday morning, the man turned up and accused Smith of stealing his bicycle and told him that he had 24 hours to find it.
Afterward, according to accounts, the suspect began to chase Smith out of the yard with a piece of wood before shooting him in the passageway leading to house. Several residents who were watching the incident unfold witnessed the actual shooting.
Stabroek News was told that Smith made it to the stairway of his house but collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital by his wife and his brother. He was not bleeding from the gunshot wound, according to reports.
When asked about the suspect, Smith’s sister-in-law said that he and Smith grew up in Thomas Street and were very close. She could not say why the suspect would make such an accusation against Smith. The suspect, she said, often describes himself as a businessman.
Meanwhile, speaking from the United States via telephone, Smith’s mother, Jen, said her son was in “police story before.” She said that he was always in fights and was accused of stealing in the past.
The woman said that she received the news shortly after the shooting and was in shock. The hysterical woman told this newspaper that her son was called out of his bed and shot. She expressed the hope that the police would find the killer and bring him to justice. “I am so shocked! I can’t even mek it to wuk,” she said.
Police said investigations are continuing.
