Fear grips Agricola residents as deadly family feud escalates

…residents call for stronger police action, patrol

Fear and tension are mounting in the community of Agricola, East Bank Demerara, as residents express deep concern over what appears to be an unrelenting feud between two families, one that has already left two men dead in under a month and several others injured.
The most recent victim is 33-year-old Romel Bollers, a shopkeeper of Brutus Street, who was gunned down on Monday morning while tending to livestock at Titus Street, just a few lots away from where another man, Nicholas Narine, was killed weeks earlier.
Bollers was reportedly shot multiple times and died before receiving medical attention. His death has reignited fear among residents, many of whom say the violence has spiralled out of control and may only worsen if authorities do not act decisively.
“This thing is getting out of hand,” one resident told this publication. “We’ve been seeing this situation build up for weeks, and the police are just now stepping up patrols? That’s too late. People could be next.”
Though police have not confirmed a motive, Romel Bollers is the brother of Rafael Bollers, the man wanted for the June 10 murder of 28-year-old Nicholas Narine.
Narine, also known as “Biggs”, was shot dead while working in an alleyway at Titus Street. A post-mortem later revealed that he was shot multiple times, which included a fatal wound to the heart.
Now, community members claim the feud didn’t begin with Narine’s killing but rather has roots in a dispute allegedly involving a female relative of one of the two families.
“From what people are saying, all of this started over a girl,” another resident explained. “Long before Nicholas was shot, we heard say a girl from the Bollers family went to the Narine house and fired shots. People even say it was caught on camera.”
That incident reportedly occurred weeks before Narine was killed. According to residents, Narine’s 16-year-old cousin was shot in the leg during a brazen attack allegedly carried out by a member of the Bollers family. The teen was hospitalised, and family members say they repeatedly pleaded with police to intervene, but to no avail.
“They went to the station over and over,” a resident alleged. “They bring footage, statements, everything. But nothing happened.  And then Nicholas gets killed right in broad daylight.”
The day after Narine’s murder, his younger brother, 22-year-old Keon Narine, was arrested for allegedly retaliating by shooting at the Bollers’ Brutus Street home. Police later recovered an AR-15 rifle in his possession. He told detectives the weapon belonged to his late brother Nicholas and that he was seeking revenge for the killing.
Residents say the shootings, now stretching across several incidents, have deeply unsettled the community, especially those who live between Titus and Brutus Streets.
“It’s like a war zone,” said another resident, who requested anonymity. “Every week, there is something new: somebody getting shot, somebody’s house getting sprayed up, and nobody feels safe anymore. Just the other day, this boy [Romel] who got killed was troubling the other family. When is it going to stop? Is every week somebody getting killed in this area? Plus, why do the police have people running around in this community with a set of guns and nobody doing anything?”
While police in the regional division said they have since increased patrols and continue to investigate, residents insist more needs to be done to prevent further bloodshed.
“We want something done, but we also want peace,” another resident said. “This community can’t survive like this. Somebody else is going to be dead if they don’t shut this down now.”
The body of Romel Bollers is at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination. His death marks the latest chapter in a bitter, unresolved conflict between two families that residents fear is far from over.