…high-powered weapons recovered
By Bhisham Mohamed
Five armed bandits who were allegedly attempting to rob a house at Pattensen, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown were shot dead during a gun battle with the Police in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The dead men have been identified as: Timothy St Hill, 38, of Warlock, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown and also of Diamond New Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara; Andrew Daly, 40, of Westminster, West Bank Demerara; Levi Braithwaite, 31, of North Ruimveldt and also of Albouystown, Georgetown; Ian Forde, and Jermaine Doobay.
Well-known criminal St Hill was charged in 2015 for possession of firearm and ammunition, and in 2016 was arraigned for narcotics possession. In 2017, he was slapped with attempted robbery and break-and-enter charges. In 2018, he was charged for setting on fire the Grove-Diamond Police Station while in custody.
According to Police, St Hill was instrumental in providing medical supplies, foodstuff and clothing to the notorious Camp Street prison escapees.
Levi Braithwaite was arrested in 2017 for armed robbery; while Daly was charged for break-and-enter and larceny in 2017. The Police are yet to confirm whether either Forde or Doobay had brushes with the law.
Preliminary reports from the Police detail that at about 03:00h on Tuesday, the five men were attempting to break into a house owned by a Guyanese who resides in Florida. The men had already cut the locks to the gate of the property, located at Lots 8 and 9 Pattensen, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, and had entered the compound. But as they attempted to gain access into the house, the caretaker and his family were alerted, and quickly retreated to a secure room in the house, from where they called 911.
At an emergency press conference, Acting Top Cop, David Ramnarine, explained that at the time the 911 call was received, an anti-crime patrol unit in ‘C’ Division was aware that a CID Headquarters plainclothes patrol was in the vicinity of Sophia, and when they contacted them, the two units joined forces and proceeded to the location.
“They proceeded rather cautiously, by ensuring that the vehicles were secluded in a particular area… As they arrived at the location, two men were seen in the yard with rifles. Police challenged them, the men opened fire on the Police, and (the Police) returned fire… Both men fell.
“A third man who was in the house ran out and was caught in the exchange of gunfire, and he collapsed on the ground. Seconds after, a white motorcar drove up, and two occupants exited and opened fire on the Police. The Police took cover and returned fire. Both males fell,” the acting Police Commissioner explained.
He further related that an AK-47 assault rifle and two magazines taped together were found close to the motorcar. In addition, a quantity of live rounds and two rifles were found in close proximity to the two men who were shot in the yard.
Also at the scene, three mobile phones, a pair of gloves, a nipper, two crowbars, a hacksaw, four warheads, a pair of slippers, an identification card, tope, bank cards, a membership card to Princess Casino and other items were found. The Police also retrieved 24 spent shells of two different caliber weapons at the scene.
The acting Top Cop also related that the front wall of the building was riddled with bullets, and several bullet holes were seen.
The shot men were transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.
When Guyana Times visited the medical institution, a number of relatives of the dead men were seen in the mortuary area, waiting to get a glimpse of the bodies as they were being transported to the Lyken Funeral Home.
The relatives of the dead men accuse the Police of cold-blooded murder. They claim St Hill was seen in the company of a top-ranking officer of the Guyana Police Force on Monday evening.
Guyana Times was told that the men were after a safe which contained money in the house at the time of the attempted robbery. Information, however, remains sketchy as to how the men became aware that there was a safe in the house.
Pattensen residents recalled being awakened by the sound of gunshots. One man told the media that after hearing gunshots, he immediately contacted 911 to make a report, and was told that the matter was already reported and that ranks were already at the scene.
Another man posited that the standoff between the Police and bandits lasted for quite some time, and after the ordeal, they became aware that five bandits were shot and killed.
“I living here all meh life, and this never happen. I happy that they catch the bandits, because they (bandits) does only know to jump people house, rob them and kill them,” the man related.
The acting Police Commissioner explained that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is in the process of questioning the ranks who were involved in the shooting incident.
Meanwhile, he commended the lawmen for their bravery in protecting the citizenry, while noting that their efforts must be recognised, since, during the ordeal, they did not retreat, but rather put up a fight. No Police rank was injured during the shootout with the bandits.
