The police say that the Director of Public Prosecu-tions (DPP) has advised that no charge be laid in the shooting in front the Outside Lounge & Bar at the MovieTowne entertainment complex, on the East Coast Demerara on New Year’s Day.
It involved a mechanic who was shot three times when multiple weapons were fired but since then no charge had been laid
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News on Wednesday that the DPP has advised that no charge be laid. The DPP’s decision, Blanhum explained, means the case is now closed and that the Guyana Police Force will abide by the advice given by the DPP. He also stated that he would not be able to go into all the details as to why the decision was taken.
Previously, Blanhum had told this newspaper that they were making one more attempt to get the victim to give statements in relation to the shooting, since he was not cooperating with the police. This had to be done, he said, before the DPP was approached for legal advice in the matter.
Investigations had revealed that Olofie DeSantos, 30, a mechanic of Bagotville, East Bank Demerara, along with Eron Baptiste, 29, a licensed firearm holder of a .32 Taurus pistol and the owner of a black Toyota Crown motor car with trade plate Luminous, and his brother Errol Baptiste, a businessman (who is also a licensed firearm holder of a .32 Taurus pistol), both of Seaforth Street, Campbell-ville, Georgetown, were in the aforementioned car when it parked in front of the entrance of the Outside Lounge & Bar.
Subsequently, Sheldon Adams, a 41-year-old security guard employed by the bar, went up to the driver of the car (one of the Baptiste brothers) and informed him that he could not park the car there and block the entrance. In response, the Baptiste brothers and DeSantos exited the car and refused to move the vehicle.
One of the Baptiste brothers, who had a Hennessy bottle in his hand, then allegedly dealt the security guard a blow to the left side of his face, causing him to collapse to the ground. DeSantos then allegedly pulled out a handgun from the waist of his pants and discharged several rounds. This resulted in an unknown person or persons in the vicinity, also discharging rounds, three of which struck DeSantos (one in his lower abdomen, one to the right side of his chest, and one in his left forearm).
DeSantos then fell to the ground with the firearm he had allegedly fired and some unknown person or persons took it away from him. The Baptiste brothers meanwhile re-entered their car and drove away.
The injured man was picked up by persons unknown and taken to the Woodlands Hospital. The security guard was also picked up by one of his co-workers and taken to the same hospital.
