An Albion, Corentyne, Berbice, resident was shot dead while his wife was injured after they were attacked by two armed men Sunday evening.
Gowchand Budhu, 58, of Lot 636 Topu Village, Corentyne, was shot at least four times about his body and pronounced dead on arrival at the Port Mourant Hospital.
His wife, Parbatie Budhu, 54, who was physically assaulted was treated at the Anamayah Memorial Hospital and discharged.
According to police at about 20:50h on Sunday, Parbatie Budhu was about to enter her home when she was confronted by two men armed.
Injured: Parbatie Budhu
She was taken into the home where she was assaulted but her husband intervened and was shot which probably caused the perpetrators to hurriedly escape, leaving empty handed.
The now dead security guard attached to the Alboin Front Primary School and his wife lived alone. When Guyana Times visited the woman in hospital Monday, she recalled that she went to the bathroom to take a shower and it was while she was heading back into the house that the two men confronted her. As they held her at gunpoint, they took her into the kitchen and instructed her to call her husband who had already retired to bed.
The man who reportedly suspected something was amiss, had armed himself with his licensed shotgun and proceeded down the stairs. The woman noted that she was beaten unconscious.
She said she could not recall what transpired. “When I catch mehself, I see meh husband lying next to me in a pool of blood.”
It is believed the men shot Budhu before he could have used his firearm.
A neighbour Chandraday Mangar recalled hearing at least four gunshots but not before hearing strange sounds as if someone was held captive. At the time she thought the couple might have had an argument but the sound of the gunshots made her realise it was a robbery.
It was due to fright that no neighbour ventured out to lend assistance but contacted police who arrived on the scene some 15 minutes later.
The dead man’s son-in-law Arnold Dewlal said he rushed to the house immediately after he got the news.
As he arrived, he saw his father-in-law’s body on the ground with the shotgun next to him. “It still had two cartridges in the ejection port”, he recalled. His mother-in-law on the other hand was covered in mud and was bleeding from the head.
It is believed that the men who entered the house were covered in mud since they might have crossed a canal to gain access to the house. They were reportedly wearing underwear and masks. The police recovered a mask a short distance from the home. They have also taken possession of the dead man’s shotgun and revolver.
