More persons have been hauled into the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Eve Leary, in connection with the murder of businessman Deon Stoll which occurred on Monday in front of El Dorado Trading, Kitty, Georgetown.
Dead businessman: Deon Stoll
Acting Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston told Guyana Times on Friday that at least four persons are now in Police custody for the murder of the businessman, who was fatally shot in a vehicle after being attacked by masked gunmen.
One of the persons in Police custody is said to be a medical practitioner, who attended to the wounds of an injured man, suspected to be the masked gunman, but did not report the incident to the police.
According to Kingston, investigators are conducting their line of investigation based on preliminary reports and evidence gathered at the crime scene.
The white motorcar (HC 7162) that is said to have been the vehicle that the gunmen used was found abandoned on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) some two days after the shooting.
On Monday morning, two masked gunmen pounced on Stoll and his driver as he was about to enter El Dorado Trading to conduct business. Stoll was shot but managed to return fire at the gunmen. He shot one of the gunmen twice. His driver and a security guard at El Dorado trading were also shot.
Stoll also called “Mow” hailed from Charity, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) but resided in Bel Air, Georgetown.
Reports are the businessman arrived at the establishment at about 10:20h and as he was about to exit the car, two gunmen, who arrived in a white car, opened fire on him and his driver, Clayton Powley.
A review of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage showed that Stoll was sitting in the front passenger seat in a motorcar (PPP 6727) driven by Powley. A white Toyota motorcar with tinted windows that had appeared to be trailing Stoll’s vehicle also stopped across the road from the business place seconds later. Stoll had earlier visited a business place on Sheriff Street, whence he collected an undisclosed sum of money.
Two gunmen, donning handkerchiefs to conceal their faces, jumped out of the car and rushed towards Stoll’s car. One gunman opened the door at the driver’s side and a scuffle began between him and Powley, who soon exited the vehicle to better defend himself. Powley received a gunshot wound to his arm in the process while his assailant rushed back to the waiting white Toyota motorcar.
The other gunman rushed to the front seat passenger door and opened it before attempting to snatch something from Stoll. The businessman also appeared to have been putting up a fight from inside of the vehicle but was shot to his stomach. His shooter was unable to grab anything from the car. As he attempted to run away, the injured Stoll returned fire with his handgun. The CCTV footage showed that the gunman was shot twice by Stoll. He stumbled both times before escaping in the awaiting motorcar which sped away.
The CCTV footage showed Stoll holding on to his stomach as he fell on the ground. Security personnel attached to El Dorado Trading, along with residents of the neighbourhood, rushed to Stoll and Powley’s aid. They managed to transport the injured men to the Georgetown Public Hospital for emergency treatment. However, Stoll succumbed at the hospital. Initially, it was believed that one of the gunmen was Guyana Defence Force member, 18-year-old Olijah Chesney, who was found dead in Tucville Squatting Area, Georgetown, with two gunshot wounds. However, the Police have since said that Chesney was not involved in the robbery.
