Suspects in Hampshire wedding house shooting surrender to cops

Samuel Samaroo
Samuel Samaroo

Two Corentyne men, linked to the Christmas Eve shooting at a wedding house in Hampshire Village, which left three persons injured, surrendered to police at the Albion Police Station yesterday.

According to a police source, the alleged shooter and another man, who was allegedly carrying a firearm at the time of the shooting although he reportedly did not discharge any rounds, surrendered in the company of their lawyer, Mursaline Bacchus, after their families were held overnight at the Albion station.

The source said the men, who are claiming that they are both innocent, have told investigators that one of the victims reportedly hit them with a bottle at the wedding house, after which they retaliated.

Meanwhile, one of the three victims is still hospitalised at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. He is said to be in a stable condition.

The three persons injured were Samuel Samaroo, 28, a driver/ salesman at Banks DIH (New Amsterdam), Terry Ramsammy, 17, and Nicholas Beharry, 24, all of Hampshire Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Samaroo, who was shot in his right arm, had told Stabroek News that the incident occurred around 12.30 am at the wedding house, located a short distance from his home. According to him, two vehicles came into the street and the drivers immediately turned off their lights but left their engines running. He had said that he then saw persons exiting the vehicles.

Samaroo had told this newspaper that Ramsammy and Beharry were standing next to a car when the accused began arguing with other persons on the road. “I see (name given) walk up to Nicholas and Nicholas turn around and try fa run and I hear two gunshots fire and Nicholas run and fall down in the yard,” he recalled. “I deh sit down on a chair in the yard so I get up and walk out but then the man face Terry and discharge two more rounds to Terry,” he added.

He then explained that three persons were armed with guns but initially only one did the shooting while another just stood outside of the car. At this point he saw a third man exiting a car with a shotgun in his hand. “Me and [the accused] left pon the road and I try fuh scramble he and he shoot me in me hand and he turn the gun back against me but when he pull the trigger again the gun empty,” he added, while noting that it was then that the men made good their escape in the waiting cars.