– 36 rounds of .38 ammunition, suspected warhead found
A Police Constable is now nursing a gunshot wound to his left side chest at a private medical facility in Georgetown after he was shot by a Brazilian miner in the Aranka Backdam, Cuyuni River, Essequibo River, on Sunday morning.
The police rank has been identified as Anthony Weekes who is attached to the Bartica Police Station.
Reports are that around 05:30h on Sunday, Weekes along with two other policemen acting on information ventured into a mining camp at Aranka in search of illegal firearm(s) when the shooting incident took place.
The workers operating at that camp woke up to the sight of the policemen and allowed them to carry out their search. The three ranks then proceeded to the sleeping quarters, where the head of the mining operations was asleep, to conduct further checks.
However, according to F Division (Interior locations) Commander, Kevin Adonis, that is when the three policemen came under fire.
“From reports, the boss was sleeping when the ranks got there and he woke up and then discharged about four rounds in their direction with a firearm that was under his pillow. Weekes was shot near his heart and his colleagues immediately tried to get him out of the area. While they were doing this, the boss of the mining camp ran off further into the backdam to hide from the police.”
He explained that 36 rounds of .38 calibre ammunition were discovered and a suspected warhead was also found stashed in an empty fuel barrel that was inside of the boss’s sleeping quarters at the mining camp.
Adonis stated that the good work done by the ranks who had accompanied Weekes into that mining camp must be commended.
“The other two ranks were fortunate to get him out of the area and he was subsequently medevaced to Georgetown. Constable Weekes is currently out of danger and is expected to make a full recovery,” he noted.
The Commander added that police ranks are presently on the hunt for the Brazilian national who shot Weekes. Meanwhile, seven workers who were employed at the mining camp at the time of the shooting are currently assisting Police in their investigations. (Kristen Macklingam)
