As investigations continue into the gunning down of security guard Gerald Henry on Friday evening, the Police have arrested five persons in connection with the murder.
This is according to C Division (East Coast Demerara) Commander, Calvin Brutus, who noted that while the persons remain in custody, they are expected to be grilled in connection with the heinous crime.
He said none of the persons in custody was found with the murder weapon in their possession but their hands will be tested for gunshot residue. “We are now conducting interviews and it is too early to determine if any of the persons was involved in the shooting,” Brutus told Guyana Times.
Dead: Gerald Henry
Gerald Henry of Lot 2949 C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was shot once to his chest during a scuffle with two men who attempted to relieve him of his service weapon. It is believed that upon getting possession of the firearm, one of the bandits discharged a round hitting the security guard in the chest.
It was reported that the now dead 64-year-old man was standing next to the cashier when the two men entered the premises, walked towards him and demanded that he hand over his firearm. It was after he refused to comply that the scuffle ensured.
However, at the home Henry, his reputed wife who asked not to be named, told Guyana Times that she was at home when she received a call informing her that her reputed husband was shot during a suspected robbery.
The caller, she added, further informed her that he was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Without hesitation, she along with a few other family members including her daughter rushed to the hospital where it was confirmed that the man was taken there with a bullet wound to his chest.
She however, requested to meet the doctor and permission was granted. Upon enquiring about her reputed husband’s condition, the doctor posited that upon arrival at the hospital, Henry had no pulse which mean that he would have passed away while on his way to the medical facility.
The aggrieved woman noted that information about the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident was distorted since at the time, she was not in a frame of mine to comprehend what she was being told.
The Police at the hospital, she explained, collected her number and promised to make contact but up to late Saturday afternoon, she did not receive a call. When asked when last she saw Henry alive, she stated “When he left for work, I was at home with my daughter and granddaughter… he left smiling as always and it was a shock to hear that he was killed a short time after.”
Henry was described as an easy going person who was also dedicated to his work and family.
Meanwhile, when this publication visited that supermarket where Henry was gunned down, the owners and workers remained tight-lipped about the shooting incident.
While examining the premises, it was evident that there were surveillance cameras present, with one of the owners relating that the Police took possession of the tape with the aim of pursuing the suspects.
Guyana Times understands that the Police took statements from several workers who were present during the suspected attempted robbery.
Henry’s body is at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination on Wednesday. He leaves to mourn his reputed wife, children and other relatives.
