Guyanese man shot dead in Brooklyn

A Guyanese grandfather was shot to death in his central Brooklyn, New York apartment early this morning after an evening of drinking with friends, police and family members said, according to today’s New York Post.

Aubrey Mercurius, a 53-year-old, was found with a bullet wound to his chest inside his home around 12:30 a.m. by his girlfriend.

“He fell face down in front of her. She helped him turn over and then saw the blood,” said the slain man’s sister-in-law Marva Williams, 37.

Family members said Mercurius, his brother and friends were drinking in a finished portion of their Saratoga Avenue’s basement earlier in the evening.

His girlfriend, according to the report, said she didn’t hear any struggle or a gunshot.

“He was a good man. Family oriented. It hurts,” said his son Devon Mercurious, 21. “I don’t think he was going to get robbed for such a low amount of money. One shot to the chest and that was it.”

He said he believed the attacker made off with approximately US$20.

The New York Daily News said that Mercurius would have celebrated his 54th birthday tomorrow.