-two others wounded in confrontation with police
A Robb Street man who was shot three times by the police yesterday when he and others were caught stealing cycles from the Crescent Cycle Store, succumbed hours later while undergoing emergency surgery.
Two of his alleged accomplices who were also shot and captured in the early morning commotion at Robb and King streets which reportedly saw an exchange of gunfire are now patients of the Georgetown Hospital and are said to be in a stable condition.
Dead is Mark Heywood called Mark King, 35, of Lot 69 Robb Street, Bourda who according to information received by Stabroek News was shot in the face by the law enforcement officers who also shot Norbert Baijnauth, 31, of Lot 45 Phoenix Park, West Bank Demerara in his right foot, back, and abdomen and Neville Mahase, 43, of First Street, Alexander Village, in the left side of his chest.
The trio, Stabroek News understands was among a group who had broken into the King Street establishment around 1:30 am and were carting off cycles. When the police arrived on the scene, the men made a mad dash for freedom and it was during this bid that shots were discharged.
A police release yesterday said that around 1 am police in Georgetown acted on information pertaining to a breakage at the cycle store located at King Street, Lacytown owned by Stanley Paul.
While proceeding to the scene one man was encountered, police said and he dropped a cycle he had in his possession and ran. The ranks proceeded to the store where four others were exiting the building on cycles and were called upon to halt but continued riding away. A chase ensued and the suspects were cornered on Robb Street.
It is alleged that one of the suspects, who was armed with a gun, shot twice at the police who returned fire hitting three of them while the other made good his escape leaving his booty.
Mahase, Heywood and Baijnauth sustained gunshot injuries and were all taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for medical attention. Around 7 am Heywood succumbed.
According to the release five bicycles and four cutlasses were found at the scene.
Yesterday this newspaper was informed by several persons that Heywood has had previous brushes with the law as recent as about one month ago.
At the Bourda address which he had called home for about 15 years his adopted relatives were not happy, calling the police’s action too extreme and vigilante style.
Maxine Grant was very upset as she spoke to this newspaper at the home yesterday.
She said that she was made to understand that the father of two was involved in a break and enter. She said if this was indeed the case, the police had “no right” to kill him but instead should have let the courts deal with him.
“Why they had to do he suh?… He ain’t murder nobody. If a man thief, them soldiers just commit a whole robbery murder, tek a man money and kill he and throw he overboard and the police tek $4M…,” the woman said angrily.
They stated that the man was lying on a bed in the emergency room and at about 7 am was taken to the operating theatre where he died shortly after.
“This is ridiculous. I ain’t got no confidence in the police and the soldiers worse. These are people to protect you and they are killing you” Grant said adding that “I am not condoning Mark with whatsoever wrong he do but when he arrived at de hospital he should have been taken to the theatre”.
She questioned the purpose of the emergency room at the Georgetown Hospital if persons cannot get speedy attention and treatment.
Grant said that the law is there to hand down penalties for errant behaviour and as such Heywood should have been locked up and placed before the courts.
Heywood also leaves behind two children, four siblings and his mother Ingrid King.
Different version
Yesterday when this newspaper visited the hospital Baijnauth had a different version to tell. The man was lying in the open ward of the hospital and the stomach area was heavily bandaged. Mahase was lying on a nearby bed. While this newspaper was there, the police arrived and handcuffed them to their beds.
According to Baijnauth, Mahase was not known to him and was adamant that it was not the police who shot him but rather a civilian.
He recounted that he and Heywood were heading west along Robb Street on a bicycle when they spotted a white car behind them with a man inside. He said that they were going to buy food.
On seeing the car they started riding faster and it was at this point that the occupant opened fire and Heywood fell to the ground, begging for his life.
Baijnauth said that he then scaled a nearby fence and hid in a yard but shortly after the man accompanied by several policemen dressed in khaki came up to him.
The man maintained yesterday that he was never involved in any robbery at the bicycle shop.
He and Mahase underwent surgery to remove the bullets from their bodies.
Yesterday, proprietor of Crescent Cycling Store, Stanley Paul was still visibly shaken about the incident but was open for business. He informed this newspaper that he lost 38 bicycles of all sizes, in total over half a million dollars
The information he received was that someone saw persons riding bicycles with wheels that had no air and alerted the police, who arrived at his store around 2am.
He told Stabroek News that ranks came to his home and informed him of what had transpired. According to what was told to him, at least eight men including those who were shot, committed the act.
Paul who had only been operating his business at its present location for about six months had suffered two previous break-ins less than six months.
He recalled that the last time the store was burglarized, the culprits came through the roof. Wanting to ensure the protection of his store and its contents, Paul sealed up the entry point and had someone sleeping up there at nights.
The man later explained that this time around the man gained entry into the store by using huge nippers to cut off the locks on the grill and the huge double door behind it.
Police, according to him, recovered two of the huge nippers in a drain in front of the store along with eight padlocks and chains.
