One year has passed since Better Hope, East Coast Demerara resident, Daniel Nandlall, was shot and killed by an unknown assailant while sitting in his yard, and while his family remains hopeful for justice, they are dissatisfied with the police probe into the matter.
David Nandlall, the dead man’s brother, in a recent interview with Stabroek News, said that a lot of time has passed and there appears to be no progress in the case.
Despite this, he said relatives are keeping their fingers crossed that the killer will be apprehended soon and justice will be served.
Nandlall, of Lot 21 Lalchand Street, Better Hope, was shot on April 28, 2018 while sitting with relatives under his premises.
At the time of the incident, relatives had said Daniel had just returned home after dropping off his girlfriend.
He was accompanied by several persons, including his father, Simon Nandlall.
The police had said that Nandlall was shot in the back after a man in a car showed up at his residence and enquired if a specific individual was home.
Nandlall responded in the negative and turned away. An explosion was later heard and he fell to the ground.
He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital by public-spirited citizens and pronounced dead on arrival.
The then Commander of ‘D’ Division, Edmond Cooper, had related to this newspaper that investigators were working with little information in order to crack the case. However, to date, the police have not made an arrest.
Cooper had noted that there was no sign of a robbery. The motive for the killing remains unknown.
Alisha Douglas, a cousin of Nandlall’s, had related to this newspaper that around 11 pm on that fateful Saturday, she, her father, Nandlall and another person were sitting and talking when she saw her cousin turn his chair and begin to speak to someone.
Although she could not hear what the person was saying, Alisha had stated that she heard Nandlall say to the male, “Come back tomorrow, de man nah deh heh.” It was then, she stated, that Nandlall got up and tried to go towards her and she heard a gun go off and saw him fall flat on the ground.
Alisha had said that she then began to scream “thief!” and went to look out to see who the shooter was but saw no one. “I have no idea who the person was because I didn’t see anyone or heard what they said to Nandlall but, I can say it’s a male voice”, Alisha had stated.
Relatives remain puzzled as to what might have led to the shooting.
They had said there were many instances in the past where Daniel returned home late but was never attacked.David explained to Stabroek News that while his brother’s killer remains on the loose, he believes that if the police are serious about solving the case, they can. “We feel like them ain’t doing nothing,” he said.
He further added that the family’s worst fear is that Daniel’s murder will be added to the list of cold cases. “…Because watch how much body story that happen how long before this one left down,” David noted.
He also stated that the family is somewhat convinced that there is some form of cover-up in the case, preventing the police from solving it.
David said that the police still have Daniel’s cellular phone in their possession and they are not handing it over to relatives.
He added that it has been a while since they have heard from the police and said he plans to visit them soon for an update.
