As Bartica staggers under the trauma of the murder of a dozen persons, residents are beginning to accept that the attackers had gathered expert intelligence on them and used skilled river pilots – possibly from the township itself.
Killed in the attack were Bartica residents Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian and Irving Ferreira; policemen stationed at the Bartica Police Station, Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir, and Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne; and Deonarine Singh of Wakenaam; Ronald Gomes of Kuru Kururu; Ashraf Khan of Middlesex, Essequibo; Abdool Yasin of Good Hope, East Coast; Errol Thomas of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and Baldeo Singh of Montrose, East Coast Demerara.
Residents puzzled over the well-executed plan by the gunmen and some of them are convinced that the men must have received inside information from persons within the community.
The fact that the men came by boat and were able to carefully select their targets as well as their familiarity with the Essequibo River, which many have said “is not an easy river to travel especially at nights”, has also convinced residents that persons in or close to the community may have provided vital information.
A security guard at one of the locations near to where the men created mayhem said he had just locked up and was inside the compound when he heard rapid gunfire which seemed to be coming in his direction.
“I didn’t realize what was happening but I say to myself it was squibs, but then I heard some shots fired on the roof top and I got scared but by the time I looked around the other guys in the yard had jumped fences and ran for cover,” he said.
The man said he managed to look out and saw a police vehicle approaching and two other vehicles.
He said he felt many people were fooled by the fact that they saw the police station’s only vehicle coming up the street.
“But the shots were too much and that’s when I realized that something was wrong,” he said.
The man told Stabroek News that he saw two men dressed in khaki uniforms and two others in camouflage clothing and long boots with huge weapons in their hands.
He said two men were on the vehicle’s bonnet and two on its trunk and as it moved along the street they sprayed bullets in the air. “I see a set of people start running and who get shoot along the way, get shoot but them boy was shooting wild as though they wanted the way cleared,” he said.
According to the eyewitness, the man also wore battle helmets. The man also said the men did not appear to be too young.
The man said he hid behind a water tank and prayed all the time for more than an hour and a half after which he heard the gunfire cease.
It was not until Monday morning the man said he ventured out and realized that so many persons had been killed.
Knowing the river
A Bartica boat captain who did not want his name mentioned explained to this newspaper that there was no way that a stranger could manoeuvre his way through the Essequibo River without knowing the area.
He said that there were unexpected obstacles in several parts of the river, including rocks which only those boat operators who navigate the area would know.
“This is a funny, funny river, no strange body can’t come and know this river so
