Shot Goedverwagting man still in serious condition

-cops yet to return to crime scene

Almost two weeks after Paul Samaroo was shot by a bandit in his Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara yard, investigators are yet to return to the scene to look for spent shells and he has since been moved to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).

Since the December 16 incident, which left Samaroo with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, police have not returned to the scene, a close relative told this newspaper yesterday. Investigators, the relative said, had informed them that they would return to search the area for shells but never came back. “We haven’t heard anything about it from the police,” the relative said, “and no one has gone to ask the police anything because we have been too busy running to the hospital to see him and to make sure that all is well…this is a difficult time for our family.”

Police had reported that Samaroo was attacked and robbed by two men, during which he was shot. Investigations revealed that Samaroo was confronted by the two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The armed man shot him and then took away his jewellery and escaped.

Initially, the man was admitted to a private city hospital where he was placed in the Intensive Care Unit. However, due to “personal” reasons relatives have since moved him to GPHC. Samaroo, the relative said, has been a patient in that institution’s HDU several days now and was not speaking much. “They say he’s coming around,” the relative said yesterday, “And we believe that all will be well with him.”

The incident occurred while Samaroo was in his yard. At the time of the attack, he was locking his gate. By the time the man “raised his head” from his task the two attackers were already “upon him”.

“By the time we heard the gunshot and run out to see what had happened the two men were already running up the road and nobody bothered chasing after them because we were too busy making sure Paul was alright,” the relative said.