Family IDs 22-year-old victim in crash at Russian Embassy

The family of a 22-year-old man is demanding justice after he was struck down and killed late Friday night by a motorcar.

At the time the accident occurred, the victim was not identified. Days after, he was identified as 22-year-old Emmanuel King Boodie of Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown. It was reported that Boodie was struck down while attempting to cross the road at Rupert Craig Highway, in the vicinity of the Russian Embassy.
Police said the man was struck down by a motorcar, PXX 8048, owned and driven by a 26-year-old. It was reported that the driver of the car was proceeding along the Rupert Craig Highway at a fast rate when, allegedly, the pedestrian suddenly ran across the road and ended up in the path of the vehicle.
However, due to the short braking distance, the front portion of the car collided with the pedestrian. He was reportedly flung onto the road surface, and his body partly ended up under the car. He sustained injuries to his head and body and was pronounced dead on the spot.
When Guyana Times visited the dead man’s home on Tuesday, his mother, Shondell Boodie, told this publication that her son was missing for two nights. She claimed that she last saw Emmanuel on Friday when he visited his sister.
“Friday, he come here to his sister’s house… Since then we didn’t see him. We started looking for him from Friday,” she recalled.
Shondell described her son as quiet and withdrawn and said it seemed very odd that he did not return home.
“He doesn’t speak to people; he doesn’t talk, talk. Sometimes he might be having trouble with his little nerves,” she explained.
She said Emmanuel returned to Guyana in April last year after spending years abroad. He was not formally employed but occasionally did odd jobs. She said she was working on Monday when a friend sent her a photo telling her that her son was dead.
“I dropped everything, and I couldn’t work anymore…” she said.
According to the family, upon going to the police, they were informed that Emmanuel was struck around 11:00h on Friday while crossing the road.
Emmanuel’s mother said he was devastated by the loss. “I really feel it, because if I could do it back, I would. I bring my children up and I struggle,” she said.
Emmanuel’s father, Darrell Junor, said he was devastated by the loss.
“We are poor and now we have to find a way to bury our son, because nobody is saying anything. We are very hurt… he got a family… they just feel like he is a junkie and everything can just go down like that,” he said,
The family was further upset after learning the driver had been granted bail.
Shondell explained that they reported him missing at Middle Road and Kitty Police Station. “We went to the Kitty Police Station, and they told us to come back in the morning. It was only after, friends from overseas send me a post on my phone that I find out,” she said.
The Boodie family, which includes nine children, is now preparing to bury Emmanuel and is calling for justice.