Nine months have passed since gold dealer, Ricardo Fagundes was riddled with bullets just after he exited the Palm Court Bar on Main Street, Georgetown and while his family continues to press for justice, a police source disclosed that one of the main challenges faced in the case is the lack of eyewitness accounts.
Without divulging any information, a police source close to the investigation told Stabroek News that to date, no eyewitness has come forward to the police.
Over the years, this has been one of main problems faced by the police especially when dealing with high-profile cases such as execution-style killings.
Often times, eyewitnesses in killings like Fagundes do have critical information, which if provided to the police can lead to apprehension and possible conviction of suspect/s. However, they might opt not to cooperate with the police for many reasons but mainly out of fear for their safety.
Asked for an update on the Fagundes investigation, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum informed the Sunday Stabroek that investigators are still working on the case with a view of bringing the perpetrator/s to justice. The investigation, Blanhum said remains active.
Statistics revealed the Guyana Police Force (GPF) showed that as of September, 2021, a total of five execution-style killings were recorded.
Out of the five, four of these killings including that of Fagundes occurred in Region 4A, the policing division which covers the entire capital city.
Fagundes, also known as ‘Paper Shorts’, 42, a resident of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, was riddled with bullets by two men outside of the Palm Court around 10 pm on Sunday, March 21, last year.
The police had said that Fagundes was having drinks with a colleague in Palm Court when he received a call on his cell phone.
Shortly after exiting Palm Court, the police said several loud explosions were heard. Fagundes was later found lying in a pool of blood on the road. His body bore several gunshot wounds.
An autopsy later showed that Fagundes was shot about 20 times about his body.
The police recovered 30 spent shells at the scene. Sixteen were from an AK-47 rifle while the other fourteen were from a 9mm gun.
No progress
A number of angles of the investigation remain unaddressed.
These include the origin of the high-power AK-47 which was used in the shooting. AK-47’s were prominent in the crime spree years after a large quantity was stolen from the Guyana Defence Force.
In terms of the suspected getaway car, it is unclear whether investigators were able to determine if the car found burnt at Swan Village on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, hours after the shooting was the same used in the crime.
Questions also linger about forensic works being done to recover the chassis number of the car which was reportedly “scraped off” and the findings of ballistics tests from the spent shells and any bullets recovered from the body.
In April, the police had held murder convict Rondell Bacchus in relation to the killing but later released him.
To date, it is unclear whether any other individual/s was arrested and questioned and whether the police are following any new leads.
What is also unknown is if the police were able to ascertain the identity of Fagundes’ alleged shooters from the footage obtained.
In the surveillance footage seen by Stabroek News, Fagundes was seen walking towards a black vehicle which was parked in front of Palm Court.
As he approached the vehicle, two gunmen emerged from a white car parked on the eastern carriageway of Main Street, ran towards him and opened fire. After several shots, Fagundes collapsed. However, the gunmen still continued to shoot at him, running to the front of the vehicle where Fagundes lay.
Shortly after, one of the gunmen rushed back to the getaway car. His accomplice, then ran towards Fagundes, stood over him and discharged more rounds before he re-entered the waiting motorcar. The car sped away along Main Street.
Nothing ain’t doing
During a telephone interview with the Sunday Stabroek yesterday, Fagundes’ mother, Carol Fagundes said the family plans to push until they receive justice.
“It really killing me….I feel real bad and terrible because he was the breadwinner for me. He was everything to me and then they go and kill he. It ain’t got a day or night I don’t cry for he or I don’t think about this thing and then you ain’t getting no way,” Carol said.
“I just need some justice. I mean he done gone he can’t come back but is close to 10 months now. I ain’t hearing nothing. Nothing ain’t doing. Just so the killer people will get off?” she questioned.
Fagundes’ family remained silent for months following his death. However, this changed in August last year when they staged a silent vigil outside Palm Court demanding answers from the police on the state of the investigation.
Since then, the family has held a number of vigils.
Carol said the last update they received from the police was in April, 2021 when they visited the Police Headquarters at Eve Leary. “…..In April two time we went to Eve Leary and they have nothing up to now and they are overdoing it now and they know and they ain’t doing nothing about it,” Carol had told this newspaper at one of the vigils held in September.
For the New Year, she said she plans on reaching out to the authorities again. “It’s not fair that he gone and nothing ain’t doing,” she said.
During a speech at Fagundes’ funeral service, convicted drug trafficker Roger Khan said that he was the real target of the shooting. Khan had also been at Palm Court at the time Fagundes was shot.
Khan appealed to President Irfaan Ali for a “clean and impartial” investigation.
“Mr President, we are asking you, I am asking you on behalf of the family of Ricardo, to give this investigation the very same attention that you gave the Henry boys. Ricardo’s life is no less important than any other life in Guyana. We are asking for the political will, we are asking for the resources, that this investigation be handled by impartial investigators,” he pleaded.
He said the family will not rest until they receive justice.
“…The hearts of men bleed for justice. It is a natural, God-given, inalienable thing that God gives man, to try for justice and this act here, this injustice, if the police do not investigate this crime and follow the evidence rather than follow the money or any kind of corrupt motive, the hearts of men will become enraged,” Khan stated.
Responding to Khan, the police in a statement had said that they were pursuing all leads to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
