Twenty-three-year-old Delroy Forde of Laing Avenue was shot dead around noon yesterday after he robbed a couple at the corner of Robb Street and Orange Walk, Bourda.
According to reports, the bandit was shot dead by one of his victims who is also a licensed firearm holder. It was another example of the type of desperate measure that members of the public have begun to take in the face of continuing attacks of this sort.
According to police reports a man and his wife had just withdrawn some money from the bank and were heading into Bourda market to do some shopping when Forde confronted the man’s wife. A police statement said that the man’s wife was confronted by Forde who held her at gunpoint.
During the confrontation, Forde was shot in his chest by the licensed firearm holder. After lying at the corner of Robb Street and Orange Walk for almost an hour Forde’s body was removed and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police said an unlicensed .32 Taurus revolver was found on Forde’s body along with a matching round and one spent shell. It is still not clear if Forde managed to relieve his victim of any valuables.
Eyewitnesses told Stabroek News that Forde was seen in a confrontation with the man’s wife and soon after, gunshots were heard. One eyewitness said after the shots were heard Forde was seen lying next to an egg stand bleeding from wounds about the body. One eyewitness said it seems as if Forde grabbed something from the woman and while he was walking way he was shot by the woman’s husband who quickly jumped into a grey 4×4 pick-up and left the scene.
A large crowd rapidly gathered at the scene. The licensed firearm holder who shot Forde later gave a statement to the Albberttown Police Station.
The dead man’s mother Wrinte Mc Phoy said her son’s death came as a surprise to her. Mc Phoy said her son only had one previous brush with the law and had just spent some time in jail. The woman told Stabroek News she was at home around 12:30 pm when she received a call from a woman who operates a stall in Bourda market. Mc Phoy said she was informed that her son attempted to rob someone and was shot. She said when she arrived on the seen she saw her son’s lifeless body on the ground being guarded by armed police ranks. According to the woman her son lived with an older sister in Laing Avenue and the sister informed her that Forde left home around 11 am yesterday.
Forde was charged in 2001 with the murder of Andrew Vanvene. Initial reports stated that the two teenagers were involved in a fight in Hadfield Street, Lodge during which Vanvene was clubbed in the head with a piece of wood by Forde. Vanvene died some two days after the incident. Forde was charged for his murder but the charge was subsequently reduced to the lesser count of manslaughter. After spending five years in prison Forde was released. He was freed in July of last year.
Earlier this week, a gang of nine men attacked a cambio dealer in broad daylight in Subryanville and grabbed a large amount of cash.
Another bandit was gunned down the previous week when he and an accomplice attempted to rob a Lamaha Gardens businessman.
