Police have recovered a rifle and questioned several persons in relation to the killing of schoolboy, Ryan Persaud by a stray bullet at Vive La Force, West Bank Demerara on Monday afternoon.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud on Tuesday told Guyana Times International that the police have questioned several persons and a rifle has been recovered.
He noted that swab samples were also taken from those questioned, but no one was arrested.
Persaud explained that he is aware that the residents are claiming the shots came from East Bank Demerara; however, he noted that the reality of such a theory depends highly on several factors.
He stated that while manufacturers of weapons guarantee effective range, the distance a bullet travels is affected by the type of cartridges, the length of the barrel, and atmospheric conditions, among other factors.
The crime chief further stated that the police are waiting for the warhead to be recovered from the teen’s body to determine whether it was fired from the rifle confiscated and whether it travelled from the alleged distance.
Addressing complaints from residents that several reports were made to the police on the shooting but nothing was heeded, Persaud said the bullet holes in the residents’ yard could have been caused by someone nearby.
Negligence
Meanwhile, residents continue to blame the inefficiency of the Guyana Police Force for the death of the 14-year-old boy. They are claiming that if the police had promptly responded to the reports made and handled the matter with the urgency it requires, the death of the lad could have been avoided.
Persaud was killed by a single bullet to the right side of the back suspected to have come from a high-powered rifle which was allegedly discharged from the other side of the Demerara River.
Angela Munroe, a neighbour who witnessed the incident, recalled that on Monday she was in her yard when they began hearing gunshots and went into the house to take cover.
She noted that her husband then called the police and left shortly after to go on the road so she sat by her window looking outside.
“I see de lil boy come out de yard and he was going on de bridge because he cousin was there, then all I see when he reach de middle of de road he bend down in a crunching position and I done know he get shot because de gun de firing quick, quick and then he flick over and fall down,” recalled Munroe.
The woman said there had to be more than one weapon firing because of the rapidness of the sound. She noted that the shooting lasted for about 45 minutes and immediately after the young man was shot, it had stopped.
Previous shootings
The woman disclosed that this shooting has been going on for years; however, the bullet never got so far and only recently intensified. On one recent occasion, she and her two sons were in their yard when they heard the clashing sound of the bullets on a nearby shed, prompting them to run for cover. She noted that the shooting did not last for a long time, but stopped shortly after.
Munroe continued that the following Sunday, which was about two weeks ago, one of her sons was riding home when two bullets flew by, inches in front of him and landed in the trench. “He come and say ‘Mommy I just had to pull up, I see two bullets fly pass me and gone in de trench’ but by time he finish talking, we hear another shot on the shed,” said the woman.
As the police continue to investigate the matter, there has been no arrest; however, they took several persons into custody for questioning, but subsequently released them. While the residents of Vive La Force claim that the shots were fired from over the other side of the bank, on Monday a vessel was seen in the middle of the Demerara River and is said to be the property of a popular businessman.
Based on information received, the police took the man into custody for questioning, but have released him.
