City woman battles for life after being shot by gunmen

A woman is now battling for her life after she was shot twice during an attack by armed men for which the motive is not yet known.

Susanna Da Silva, 26, of Lot 75 David Street, Subryanville was on her way to drop her mother off at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport early yesterday morning when they stopped by her sister, Vanuza Da Silva, to collect a package her mother was supposed to take out of the country.

Police said the woman was inside a car with other relatives outside of the house on Garnett Street, Campbellville when a car with four man drove up. They said two of the men, who were armed with guns, exited the vehicle but as they approached Susanna, she attempted to drive away. The men opened fire, hitting her in the chest. Police also said that after neighbours came out, the suspects drove away. According to Vanuza, after 2am yesterday her sister drove to her yard and honked the car horn. Also in the vehicle was her mother and aunt. She added that she peeped through the window and told her sister that she was going to be with her shortly. But as she went to the lower flat of the house to get the house keys, she heard the sound of a gunshot.

The fence Susanna Da Silva crashed into after being shot
The fence Susanna Da Silva crashed into after being shot

Vanuza said she immediately ran upstairs and peeked through a window and she saw her sister attempting to drive her car away.

The woman said it was at this point one of the two men fired another shot at Susanna, who then lost control of her vehicle and careened into a neighbour’s yard.

She added that after the men shot her sister, they went over to her sister’s car and attempted to fire more shots but the men turned away from the car after family members started hollering in their home. Nevertheless, the woman said, one of the men stood on the road and fired a few shots into the yard.

Susanna was subsequently taken to a private hospital and up to yesterday afternoon her condition was described as critical. Up to late yesterday afternoon, family members were awaiting a word from the doctor on her condition. It was stated that one of the bullets hit her in the spine while the other hit her shoulder.

The young woman’s father, Francisco Da Silva, said he had noticed a white Toyota Fielder wagon lurking around Subryanville and he believed that the driver of the car might have tracked his daughter because the car from which her attackers emerged appeared to be the same one.

When asked what the motive for the shooting may have been, family members said they believed the motive to be robbery. However, the armed men, according to reports, did not attempt to rob the woman nor the other occupants of the vehicle.

The family further said that they believe they are being targeted since this is the second time for the year a family member has been attacked.

Vanuza recalled that another sister and her mother were robbed by two men on a motorcycle in January. The family said Susanna has no enemies.