One of the men, who reportedly battered and fatally shot Kaneville resident Brendon Charles, is “freely roaming” the Kaneville/Craig area and several residents have since raised concerns about their safety.
A post-mortem examination conducted on the man’s body yesterday revealed that Charles died from a single gunshot which caused extensive damage to his heart and lungs. Kenrick Charles told Stabroek News yesterday that his son’s post-mortem, which had been originally scheduled for Monday, was conducted by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh.
Brendon’s battered and shot body was discovered early Saturday morning, in a yard several streets away from his Lot 914 Fourth Field, Kaneville, East Bank Demerara home. This newspaper was reliably informed that police have since taken statements from several persons, including Brendon’s mother Marva Cuffy. The man, in whose yard Brendon’s body was discovered, was taken into police custody for the customary 72 hours and has since been released.
The 28-year-old was the oldest of three brothers to have met a tragic end. Deon Charles was 21 when he was killed in December, 2002 and another brother, Devon Charles was 22 when he was killed in January, 2006. The brothers were all accused of a number of armed robberies and murders. It is unclear whether they were convicted of any. Brendon had been charged with the murder of Agricola icicle vendor Tyronne Williams in May 2003 and, according to his mother, he had also been accused of murdering Devon Cambridge who was found dead in D’Urban Backlands a few years ago.
Cuffy had reported that a man riding a bicycle had gone to their Lot 914 Fourth Field, Kaneville home enquiring about Brendon shortly before his demise. On Sunday Kenrick told Stabroek News that police were seeking leads on that man. The same man, Kenrick had also said, was wanted for the murder of his other son Devon, who was gunned down in Agricola.
“A man who live close by,” Kenrick said yesterday, “tell us that he see this guy running Brendon early de morning with a piece of iron or wood or something in he hand… de man say he didn’t bother peep out anymore but he recognize one of the boys that de running my son that morning.”
The suspect, according to Kenrick, lives in the Kaneville/Craig area and has been seen by several persons traversing the streets early in the morning and late at nights. Several residents have also alleged that they were robbed by the same man but were too afraid to report the matter.
“Is best we give de thief dem de couple thousand,” one woman said. “We can always work and get back more cause if you report de matter de police ain’t going to do nothing much and then when these thiefman dem free dem going to come and look for we.”
The Chase
Kenrick said that information he has gathered from residents of Kaneville/Craig suggests Brendon was chased from Last Street, Craig to the yard in First Field, Kaneville where his body was discovered.
Exiting the village of Golden Grove while driving south along the East Bank Demerara Road the first street on your left, called the Craig Old Road, if followed straight without taking the available right turn will lead you down the Craig Sideline Dam.
The dam is sandwiched by two trenches. Beyond the southern trench is Craig Village and the northern trench acts as a border between Golden Grove and Craig. Kanville, formerly a squatting area which has since seen much development, is located behind southern Golden Grove and is directly opposite the Craig Side Line Dam.
Last Street, Craig ends at the trench which runs along the southern side of the Craig Side Line Dam. Reports, according to Kenrick, suggest that his son was chased north along Last Street, Craig then east through several yards parallel to Craig Side Line Dam. A resident in one of the yards through which the man was chased recalled hearing “sounds of struggle” at approximately 1am Saturday.
“It was dark and I didn’t want to peep out much but there were two or three persons chasing another person…I was up reading and I hear the noise out in my yard and when I peep out same time they slam this man into the fence but he somehow get away from them, run out de yard and down de dam.”
The resident explained that “they didn’t take it for anything” and just figured it was a group of young men having a “lil fight”. After rushing out of that yard Brendon would’ve run west along the Craig Side Line Dam then north over a narrow bridge that leads to First Field, Kaneville.
When Stabroek News visited the murder scene shortly before 8 am Saturday sections of the grass in the Kaneville yard was flattened. Residents in that area reported hearing what sounded like a single gunshot shortly after 1 am Saturday.
Meanwhile, Stabroek News learnt from several residents, who requested anonymity, said that there is a group of male robbers from the Kaneville/Craig area who would target those residents walking along the Craig Side Line Dam and sections of Kaneville after daylight hours.
Residents believe that the Kaneville/Craig gang collaborates with those from other notorious locations. Efforts made yesterday afternoon to contact relevant police officials for a comment about the issue were futile.