-fleeing bandit shot at pursuer
The two Castello Housing Scheme residents who were shot in separate incidents on Thursday night are recovering from the gunshot wounds they sustained.
The two men, 42 year old Wayne Ritchie, of Lot 4 Castello Housing Scheme and Jason St Hill, who lives a short distance away from Ritchie at Lot 25, Castello Housing Scheme are said to be friends and both men are in a stable condition at hospitals in the City.
Ritchie is a patient at the High Dependency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital with a bullet lodged in his abdomen while St Hill is a patient at the Woodlands Hospital. St Hill’s cousin told this newspaper yesterday that the injured man had an operation on his leg at the medical institution yesterday and a bullet which was lodged in his upper right thigh was removed. She said he was ‘alert and well’ when she visited him late yesterday afternoon. The relative said family members were yet to inform the man’s mother as to what transpired on Thursday night since she had become hysterical on hearing that her son was taken to the hospital.
The police in a release yesterday stated that on Thursday night two bandits had robbed Ronald Ashby of Walker Terrace, West La Penitence and Devon Andrews of Castello Housing Scheme at gun point, relieving them of a mobile phone, two gold chains and $35,000. Ashby and Andrews were among a group of friends who were standing in front of Ashby’s home when the two bandits attacked them. An alarm was raised and public-spirited citizens responded, the release stated.
Stabroek News understands that St Hill and a neighbour were standing outside of the neighbour’s home around 9 pm Thursday night when the duo noticed two men running down the road heading in their direction with a car in pursuit.
A resident in the area stated that a taxi driver, who was among the group when he and the others were attacked, jumped into his car and drove behind the two bandits and this apparently attracted the attention of St Hill and his friend. She said St Hill and his friend joined a group of persons who were pursuing the bandits. One of the bandits then pulled out a gun and fired a shot in St Hill’s direction, hitting him in the groin area. The two bandits, the resident noted, escaped by running in the direction of West Ruimveldt.
According to reports, Ritchie and a few friends were hanging out in front of a friend’s home at Shirley Field Ridley Square around 9:15 on Thursday night when four men approached them, two on a scooter and the others on bicycles. Following an argument one of the men on the scooter pulled out a gun, which was concealed in a black plastic bag and shot him in the left side of his abdomen. When Stabroek News spoke to the injured man in the High Dependency Unit of the GPHC yesterday, he said the incident was ‘just a robbery’ noting that he did not have any problems with anyone. He said he was feeling a bit of pain but hoped to recover soon from the injury. This newspaper visited the scene of the shooting yesterday, and persons there said that the man was ‘drinking’ with his friends when the men rode up. They said Ritchie had an argument with one of the men on the scooter who subsequently pulled out a gun and as Ritchie was walking away, the man fired a shot which struck him in the abdomen.
A resident in the area said he heard what sounded like a gunshot and upon looking out, he noticed two men on a scooter riding away from the scene of the shooting. Ritchie was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted.
Police are investigating the two incidents.
