The start of a new day quickly turned tragic for the family of a well-known mechanic after he was brutally killed early Saturday morning when gunmen invaded his Guyhoc Park, East La Penitence, Georgetown home.
Dead is 44-year-old Reginald Atherly, popularly known “Diesel Boss” and “Reggie” of Lot G26 Guyhoc Park, East La Penitence, Georgetown, who owned and operated a mechanic shop at his home.
Reports surrounding the killing indicate that the father of five was shot multiple times at close range by two masked gunmen who invaded his home at about 04:00h on Saturday morning.
Guyana Times International understands that the gunmen gained access into the home by removing louvred panes from the windows situated on the side of the house.
When this publication visited the dead mechanic’s home, his partner, Roxanne Crawford, explained that she awoke to the voices of men inside her home, whom she soon realised had guns. Crawford told this publication that she started to scream, before breaking down into tears.
“So I sleeping and I hear like two men talking, so as I hear this talking I open my eyes and I realise two men deh aiming the gun, they had on this black hoodie and one taller than one and they got this old gun…and I start screaming cause I say when I scream they gon panic and they gon gotta go out back how they come in,” the grieving woman said.
In tears, she added that Atherly, who was on the bed with her, also awoke, sprang up and rushed towards the men.
“I hear the shots dem start fire so I wake up my lil daughter and tell she bandits! Bandits! Go under the bed….and when I peep now to see wuh going on, I see he got one at the front door, he lay down on the ground and he grabble one of them and I run back fuh the cutlass, me ain’t see he moving,” Crawford cried.
Meanwhile, the dead man’s mother, Ingrid Atherly, was still in a state of shock but the visibly shaken woman described her son as friendly while expressing uncertainty as to why someone would want to kill him.
“All we heard her screaming, and she call out for ‘Miss Atherly! Miss Atherly! Reggie just get shoot’, and we run at the back and saw him lie down there lifeless….he don’t have no enemies, he’s so friendly a lot of people would come to him, he always got a raise to pull out his pocket and gave them.
So I don’t know who would want to out his light so cruel, he didn’t deserve this at all,” the grieving mother said.
After the shooting, Atherly was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The now dead man leaves to mourn his wife, five children, mother and other family members. The police have since launched an investigation. (Leah Hernandez)
