Golden Grove resident, bandit shot in robbery

•  gunmen hijack minibus to take wounded accomplice to hospital

A Golden Grove resident is listed as stable in the Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital while one of his attackers is nursing a gunshot wound as bandits from the village of Buxton turned their attention to other villages on the East Coast of Demerara.+

Sookraj-Rambarran-robbed   Naimodeen-car-hijacked

Mark Lewis called Diam, 33, of President's College Road, Golden Grove, was shot in his chest when bandits attacked a group of gamblers in the village.

The attack occurred minutes after the bandits who were moving on bicycle had robbed a shop owner and several other persons in the village of Victoria.

One of the bandits, 18-year old Aubrey St. Clair (above) was accidentally shot by one of his accomplices during the Golden Grove robbery.

He is presently under guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital after giving investigators several names.

Kaieteur News understands that Lewis and a group of friends were gambling under a stall on Presidents' College Road, Golden Grove around 01:00 hour, when five gunmen rode past them.

No one paid heed to the men who had called out to one of the men under the stall.

“Dey hail up a man and den ride off. A bus de passing and dey hide from de light. De man wha dey hail up turn and tell we dat is dem Buxton man gone deh. Before we know anything de bandits turn back and come and stick up all ah we,” one resident told Kaieteur News.

The resident said that one of the bandits attacked one of the gamblers and tried to relieve him of his chain.

During a scuffle, a round went off.

“After de fuss shot, de bandit fire again and hit he partner, den he turn and shoot Diam who fall over board in de trench,” another eyewitness recalled.

Three other gamblers jumped into the trench when the shooting started.

The eyewitness said that one of the bandits, who was keeping guard on the road, went over to the wounded bandit and became agitated when he realized that he was shot.

“De one over de road holler, ‘oh s…, you shoot me buddy'. Den he try fuh put he pon he bike fuh ride away. But like de one wha get shoot couldn't stay up pon de bike, so dey try fuh carry he fuh put he in a vehicle,” the eyewitness said.

Lewis, who was bleeding profusely in the trench called out for help.

“He holler fuh he sister. He tell she how dem Buxton man shoot he. But one ah de bandits, who still been around go up to he and put de gun to he head and tell he, ‘Oh, is Buxton man shoot you?' He fire he gun three times but de gun didn't go off or else is dead Diam would'a dead,” an eyewitness told this newspaper.

“Dem men move like real soldiers. As fast as dey shoot, dey picking up de shells,” a resident who witnessed the entire ordeal from his window told this newspaper.

According to relatives, Lewis was robbed of close to $50,000, while several other gamblers were relieved of cash and jewellery.

By this time, the bandits became more preoccupied with trying to get their wounded colleague to obtain medical attention.

Kaieteur News understands that a minibus number BHH 317 was passing and was forced to stop when one of the gunmen stood in the middle of the road pointing his gun at the driver.

“He see de bus coming and turn to he partners dem and seh, ‘Y'all ain't get a bus yet'. Den he hold up de bus and put he partner inside,” the eyewitness said.

All the bandits boarded the bus and headed out of the village, leaving the wounded Lewis and other shocked residents behind.

Help was summoned and Lewis was subsequently taken to the hospital where he was immediately admitted.

This newspaper understands that he required five pints of blood after surgery.

Kaieteur News was told that the bandits dropped off their colleague at the hospital and immediately left without giving any information.

“Dey just bring he and dump he in a wheelchair and lef he,” a staff at the Georgetown Public Hospital told Kaieteur News.

When questioned, the wounded bandit who was shot in the abdomen, first gave his name as Anthony St. Clair, but security personnel later found a note in his pocket with his correct name.

There are reports that his accomplices tried to abduct him on three occasions.

At one time, they ran out of the hospital when confronted by plainclothes police officers, who were at the hospital at the time of their visit.

“De one who do de shooting went in de hospital, but de police was guarding he (St. Clair) didn't know was who, so he couldn't do nothing,” a relative of the wounded Golden Grove resident said.

Meanwhile, police who visited the scene yesterday morning recovered a 9mm spent shell and a warhead.

No one has so far been arrested as investigations are continuing.