A suspected trunker was yesterday shot by the owner of the minivan he was found sitting in at Premniranjan Place, Prashad Nagar, after he attempted to pull an object from his waist.
The shooter has since been detained by police for questioning.
The wounded man, who gave his name as Ali Stephens, 44, was up to late yesterday afternoon undergoing emergency surgery at the Georgetown Hospital, where he was taken by police. His condition, according to sources at the hospital, is listed as serious.
It is believed that the name the man gave is false as initially he was reluctant to reveal his identity to doctors and the police. The hospital, in a press release, said that the man arrived at the hospital around 11 am, after he was reportedly “shot to the lumbar region, chest and buttock.” The release added that the man was treated and sent to the Main Operating Theatre for surgery.
A police source described the man as a “junkie” who hangs around Bourda Market. The source said around 10am the man was seen entering a yard in the Prashad Nagar area, where he spent some time. He later broke into the van, BKK 1982 and the owner who worked at a mining company located a stone’s throw away, was informed.
The police source said that when the owner arrived, he found the man sitting in his vehicle and discharged a round into the area after which the man placed his hands to his waist and attempted to pull something out. According to the source, the vehicle owner, who is a licensed firearm holder, told investigators that he did not see the object but fired a shot in the man’s direction. The man then fled into some nearby bushes and was pursued by the vehicle owner and a colleague. They later caught up with man, who they realised had sustained a wound to the abdomen. The wounded man, the police source said, was taken to the Prashad Nagar outpost, where he was handed over to ranks who took him to the hospital.
When Stabroek News visited the area, one eyewitness to the incident said that she saw the suspected thief, who was well dressed in pants and a shirt, jumping into a house next door to a place of worship. The woman, who did not want her identity revealed, said that the occupant of the house had earlier left and she was hoping that he would come and catch the man in his yard. She said that the man spent about 30 minutes in the yard before once again jumping over the fence. From there, he walked about 100 metres to a vehicle that was parked on the roadway.
She said that she noticed the man peeping into the vehicle through the locked windows, before he ripped off the sun visors that were over the windows. “Like he see things in there he wanted,” she added.
The woman told this newspaper that she contacted the owner of the vehicle and “the boy just came, run around his vehicle and shot he because he breaking and entering the vehicle.” She recalled that after being confronted, the man fled into some nearby bushes and the man kept firing shots. She could not say how many shots were discharged but said it was more than two. Another resident said she heard about six.
The eyewitness told this newspaper that the suspected thief managed to evade the gunfire and as he passed a resident clutching his side, he said “Morning, Sir!” She said that she immediately informed the resident of what the man had done and it was shortly after this that he was apprehended.
According to her, the wounded man is a regular in the area and she even accused him of stealing a bicycle from her yard some time ago.
Another resident told this newspaper that after hearing gunshots, she looked outside and saw a “fine guy” running up the street. She said that the man was at a vehicle and the shooter came up and shot him.
The woman said that the house she was staying at belongs to a senior police official, who had repeatedly asked for a nearby container to be removed. The container, which belongs to a mining company located nearby, is in front of the residence and next to the vehicle which was broken into. It would have been difficult for the owner to see that someone was breaking into his vehicle since the container would obstruct his view.
Before he was shot, the woman said, the thief took some items from out of the vehicle “an he shy it in de grass.”
