After eluding capture for several months
while creating fear in the several East Coast Demerara
communities, luck finally ran out on notorious armed
robber/rapist Courtney James. He was shot dead by police early
yesterday morning.
Dead:
Courtney James
James, 23, of Melanie Damishana was shot
twice by a police rank, the bullets hitting him in his abdomen
and chest, during a confrontation near the junction of Mandela
Avenue and the East Bank Public Road.
James had narrowly escaped capture last
Saturday when police raided a Haslington, East Coast Demerara
house. He left two weapons an AK-47 assault rifle and a .32
revolver behind.
This newspaper has since confirmed that the
AK-47 is part of the stock of weapons that went missing from
the Guyana Defence Force Headquarters, Camp Ayanganna in
February 2006.
Police in a statement yesterday, said that
James, for whom a wanted bulletin had been issued on April 22,
was seen yesterday morning by members of a mobile police
patrol jumping over a fence at Alexander Village.
“He was challenged by the police ranks,
whereupon he discharged two rounds at them. They returned fire
hitting him about the body,” the police press release said.
The police added that they recovered a .32
revolver with three live rounds and two spent shells.
But this newspaper has received a different
version of how James met his end.
Kaieteur News was told that James tried to
escape after being ordered out of a West Bank Demerara bound
minibus when he was shot.
This newspaper was told that the police got
word that the notorious criminal who was wanted for a series
of rape and armed robberies was in a West Bank Demerara-bound
minibus.
According to a source, the police were
given a description of the minibus and a traffic rank who was
in the vicinity, was advised to stop the vehicle.
A passenger in the bus told this newspaper
that after the bus stopped, a policeman came up and ordered
everybody out.
James, the passenger said whipped out an
object from his waist and tried to attack the rank when he was
shot once.
He then tried to run but was shot again and
fell to the ground.
“De man did sit down in de bus like an
ordinary passenger. We didn’t know he was a criminal. Is
when the police tell we who he is then we realize is wha
happening,” the passenger told this newspaper.
The passenger said that he could not say if
the object James pulled out was a gun or not since everyone
ducked when the gunshots rang out.
A relieved
East Coast Divisional Commander, Balram Persaud (right)
being briefed by another officer at the Georgetown Public
Hospital following the slaying of Courtney James.
James’s death has brought relief to the
police ranks on the East Coast of Demerara who had been trying
to apprehend him for several months.
“After we found the weapons and his
hideout (Saturday), he’s been on the run and since then
we’ve been after him,” Divisional Commander for the Police
East Coast Demerara Division, Assistant Commissioner Balram
Persaud said.
He explained that yesterday morning, acting
on information, the police went to the East Bank Demerara
junction with Mandela Avenue where they confronted James.
“He was armed, he opened fire and the
police retaliated. I understand he was hit in the chest and
abdomen. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where
he was pronounced dead on arrival,” Assistant Commissioner
Persaud told the media, shortly after James’s death.
Courtney James was wanted by the police in
connection with a recent spate of armed robberies and rapes
committed on the East Coast Demerara between November 26, last
and May 14, 2009.
He was the prime suspect in the armed
robbery committed on Magistrate Nigel Hawke at his home at Non
Pareil on April 20, in addition to 33 other reports of robbery
under arms.
James was also reported to have raped six
of his victims during the robberies.
He had managed to elude the police last
Saturday by jumping from a building at Haslington, when the
police descended on the hideout. They later searched it.
An AK 47 rifle with eight matching rounds
and a .32 Taurus revolver were recovered by the ranks and
another man was arrested.
Yesterday, Commander Persaud said that the
police were confident of catching the notorious bandit after
he slipped them on Saturday.
“We had information that he was in Bare
Roots and would be coming out because we were on to him
yesterday (Sunday), on to last night in the area. We were
behind him all the time, so we knew he would have fled the
area. The other divisions and branches were alerted; they were
on the lookout,” he explained.
He added that with James’s death an
entire criminal network has been dismantled.
“We knew sooner or later the long arm of
the law would pull him in. His time came. From Saturday when
we swooped down on that house and started wrapping up his
network, the end was near. There are a number of persons in
custody who some way or the other might have assisted him,”
the police divisional commander said.
Among the persons detained is a policewoman
who this newspaper understands provides security at the home
of a Government Minister.
She lives in a house next to the one from
which the police recovered James’s weapons.
Police are investigating whether the
policewoman had knowledge of James presence, him being her
neighbour.
Investigators are claiming that the woman
should have known that James was there since a wanted bulletin
with a photograph of the suspect was published in the media.
According to a source arrangements are
reportedly being made to have her struck off from the Force.
Many residents on the East Coast of
Demerara also greeted news of James’s death with relief.
Sources in the Paradise area told this
newspaper that they were prepared to confront him since he had
attacked several women from that community.
When shown a photograph of the dead Courtney James one
victim was certain that he was the man that had attacked him.
Tuesday, May 19,
2009
