A Port Mourant man is now in a critical condition at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital after he was shot at his home on Sunday night and his wife believes the attack is linked to him being a witness a murder trial
Shafraz Bacchus, also known as Andrew, 31, of Lot 21 Portuguese Quarters, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice, was ironing his children’s school clothes when he saw a gun pointed at him through an opening in the floor. Bacchus sounded an alarm, after which the perpetrators started discharging rounds. The last of three rounds struck Bacchus, who is now a patient at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.
His wife, Tasha Gobin 28, as she sat outside the hospital waiting to visit him, told Stabroek News that she was on the veranda when she heard a loud sound. “I asked Andrew if is the iron make that sound and he said, ‘no, is thief! Grab them children!’”
Gobin explained that they have an interior stairway that has not yet been enclosed since their house is still under construction. According to the woman, there is a trap door at the top of the stairway and their couch is set over it. However, she explained that there is still a three-inch opening in the floor.
The frightened Gobin went on to state that she does not consider the attack an attempted robbery. She suspects it might have been a hit on her husband, who is an eyewitness in a murder. Gobin added that Bacchus had related to her that he had heard talk of plans to kill him.
The woman said that her three children, who are aged 10, 6 and 5 years old, witnessed the attack. Her youngest son, she said, told her that when he heard his father screaming and saw the gun, he wanted to pull it away from the perpetrator.
The woman went on to state that after her husband was shot the perpetrators tried to enter through the trap door but they were unsuccessful. The men then escaped through the backyard, jumping over the fence.
Bacchus was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital and then transferred to New Amsterdam to undergo surgery. According to his wife, doctors at the hospital told her that the bullet hit one of Bacchus’ intestines, and it has not yet been retrieved. Bacchus remains in the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital.
Gobin said she will try to make contact with the Commander of ‘B’ Division to inquire whether more patrols can be placed in her area, as she is now fearful for her life and her children’s.
