By Vahnu Manikchand
After evicting his reputed wife and his child from his Middle Street property on Monday and subsequently going on a drinking binge, Deryck Kanhai went on his murderous rampage on Tuesday, killing four persons, including two policemen, before lawmen cut him down.
A father of seven, the 52-year-old gold miner, is the owner of the three-storey building located at Lot 315 Middle Street, South Cummingsburg, which also housed two businesses. The fourth of nine children, Kanhai grew up in Bartica but moved to Georgetown along with his family.
Guyana Times International was told that up to recently he was living with a woman and a child they shared; however, no one knows where they are. He also fathered six other children in previous unions; three of them are living in Venezuela while the other three are in the U. S. The man had shared a close relationship with his children despite the distance, as they would talk frequently.
Guyana Times International understands that he spoke to his three children in the U. S. on Tuesday morning.
Kanhai is well-known for his mining operations in the interior. He has a dredge in the Cuyuni area and is currently building a hotel in Bartica. The man’s businesses also include a fuel transport service and a mining materials supply business.
Domestic woes
As Guyanese try to come to grips with the rampage, this publication revisited the scene of the shootout on Wednesday and was told that Kanhai had actually put the woman he was living with and their child out of the house on Monday.
A source said that this might have triggered the man’s behaviour the following day. “He was drinking whole day after he put them out, so maybe that triggered him to behave the way he did, but no one knows for sure why he did it,” the person said.
Speaking with this publication, the brother of the businessman, Aubrey Kanhai, expressed his sadness over the entire situation. “I must feel bad, four persons lose their lives and I’m very sorry about that because I know them ain’t do he nothing,” he stated regrettably.
The man reiterated that he knows nothing about what could have caused his brother to do what he did, noting that his brother was fine earlier that day and, at no time prior, showed any signs of depression or worry. He disclosed that he was there at the building, where he also resides, when his brother came out armed; however, he left shortly after and about five minutes later, he was informed about the shooting, so he rushed back.
Two friends of the businessman described him as a friendly person who likes to ‘gaff’. One of them said that Kanhai was proud of his business and accomplishments, since whenever they talked he would always mention his business operations. The man said Kanhai was a happy person who loved to make jokes.
He noted that he last saw the man about two weeks ago.
“He called out to me and I came over the road to meet him, we hugged, because we haven’t seen each other in a while… so he said you have to come upstairs and I tell him when I get time a day I gon come up and sit down, it didn’t happen.” The friend recounted his reaction to Tuesday’s event.
“When I heard the gunshots, I was at public hospital and I say which jackass is doing things like that around here, then somebody say is Deryck… I was shocked and then I wonder is who do him something,” said the man.
A really good man
Another friend of Kanhai said he was a “real good” person and he added that this incident has shaken him. The man, known as Dara, said he last saw Kanhai about six months ago. He noted that he used to work with the businessman; however, they had a close relationship as he was left to care for the property whenever Kanhai went into the interior.
“When he come out, we does lime together, he does enjoy he self. He gon go out and walk, nobody tell he nothing and he don’t tell nobody anything.
We does have a nice time, especially Christmas time when he does come, he does greet everybody.
Everybody he see, he always get something to give them that was the kind of person he was, this what happen shook everybody,” Dara related.
The owner of Crown Cabs Taxi Service, one of the businesses located in the bottom flat of Kanhai’s property, Abdul, told Guyana Times International that he was at the premises, minutes before the shooting started; however, he left to go to the service’s main base on East Street and while there, he heard gunshots. “We heard the shots and then we realised it was coming from here, so we head here and saw a body in front the building.”
The man disclosed that by this time, the police had already arrived on the scene and one was reportedly injured.
Abdul said this incident has shook him up a lot, since he has been operating at the location for close to three years now and nothing like this ever happened; however, he noted that he heard that Kanhai had discharged rounds twice before at the premises, but could not say whether that was true.
The taxi service owner explained that he had only shared a business relationship with Kanhai, and there was nothing personal between them.
Rampage
Kanhai went on a rampage on Tuesday sometime around 13: 30h, shooting the dispatcher of the taxi service, Vanessa Vyphuis, and a resident of the area, Hugh “Bonny” Rowland, who would usually lime at the base. Another taxi driver, Paul Raman, 45, of Vreed-en-Hoop, was also injured. He underwent surgery on Tuesday evening and is currently in the High Dependency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital.
He then retreated to inside his house where he took cover from the police who came shortly after. A gun battle ensued between him and the police, lasting for more than three hours, during which two police officers lost their lives.
Constable Sherwin Pantlitz, 35, of Diary, West Demerara and Lance Corporal Michael Forde, 24, of A Field Sophia were shot and killed in the line of duty during the standoff.
Kanhai was eventually shot dead by the police who closed in on him sometime around 16: 15h.
