Hours after an armed robbery, a man accused of being a perpetrator was fatally shot by police early yesterday morning.
Hemchand Gopaul, 18, of Rose Hall, Corentyne Berbice died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the neck. Police said he was one of three men who robbed a family at Hampshire Village, Corentyne-a charge that his family denied. Another man was arrested, while a third is still on the run.
Police said late last evening that the robbery occurred at about 1.30am yesterday at Hampshire Village, Corentyne, where Maria Mootoo, 45, her sister Savitri Mootoo, 41, their mother Latchmini Narinesammy, 68, and a brother were at home. Three men, armed with a firearm and a cutlass, broke a window and entered the home. They held the two sisters at gunpoint and took away a quantity of jewelry and $85,000. The trio discharged a round as they escaped, police said.
Acting on information received, police was able to pursue the robbers and came “under fire at the Rose Hall Cemetery. Police pursued the men and again came under gunfire at Port Mourant. They returned fire, fatally wounding Gopaul. One of Gopaul’s accomplices was subsequently arrested in the Port Mourant district; he remained in police custody up to press time assisting police with investigations, police said.
Eight 9mm rounds were found in Gopaul’s pocket, according to police, who say he has been “positively identified as one of the three” robbers. A 9mm warhead was recovered by police at the scene of the robbery.
However, Vishnu Gopaul told Stabroek News last night that his son is innocent. He said the boy was out fetching “scrap metal” with friends when they were suddenly pursued by police. “Meh son, right, he lef’ hand na good…last year police accuse he of robbing this man and when this man and he friend find meh son dem give he two chop on he left hand,” Vishnu said.
Vishnu related that Gopaul was chopped last December and spent almost three weeks in hospital and was later charged. “Dem tell me son last year that he attempt fuh thief fowl,” the man said.
The man said Gopaul was later placed on $100,000 bail which he paid.
Meanwhile, Vishnu said his son would usually tend to his sheep and goats in addition to their pigs. Gopaul, he recalled, left home at about 7pm Thursday and ended up at Port Mourant with his friends hunting for scrap metal. “Yesterday (Thursday) now, me son deh whole day ah graze some sheep and goat and help me look after meh pig dem,” Vishnu told Stabroek News, “Dem sheep and goat does graze and come home late…he lef’ house 7 o’clock…he didn’t come home last night (Thursday night).”
It wasn’t until 3am yesterday morning, Vishnu said, that his son returned home to collect their “donkey cart.” Gopaul, he related, said he and his friends were transporting scrap metal from Port Mourant. It was while Gopaul and his friends were returning with the scrap metal that police suddenly pursued then and started discharging rounds at them, Vishnu said.
The shooting, according to Vishnu, commenced at about 4am yesterday morning and didn’t end until about 5.30am. Police, the man alleged, discharged over 20 rounds. “Five police man come ah meh house here around quarter to six yesterday morning and ask me where my son deh. Meh explain and tell them he gone fuh scrap iron…They search up meh whole house, tumble everything,” Vishnu said.
The man said he asked the ranks why they were looking for Gopaul and was told he would “find out later.”
“Lil after dem search meh house meh take me bicycle and go around by the post man and trying to find out what happened to meh son and dem people tell meh police shoot me son and kill he dem got he on de damn,” Vishnu said, “Dem shoot he in de neck.”
Police, according to Vishnu, blocked the dam on either side and refused to let anyone enter. The man said when he enquired about his son he was told by police to go look in a near by garden. “They block de damn all two side, cuss up all dem people and chase every body,” Vishnu said. “So dem ah chase everybody and dem bring branch and cover meh son face.”
It wasn’t until the hearse came to collect the body lying on the dam, Vishnu said, that he realized it was his son.
“Is when de hearse come and dem ah lift de body is then I recognize him from de clothes he was wearing,” Vishnu said. Vishnu Gopaul insists his son is innocent. The young man, according to him, was hard working and didn’t “drink or smoke.”
(Sara Bharrat)