– identified by two victims
A man identified as a cutlass-wielding bandit who had committed a robbery at the Plaisance Market yesterday was later shot by the police, as he attempted to escape even as he was ordered to surrender.
The alleged robber who gave his name as Rafael Jordan of Plaisance was taken to the Georgetown Hospital where he was admitted under guard.
Police said in a release last evening that around 13:40 hrs Jordan was shot and injured to his right thigh by the police during efforts to arrest him.
He had been identified as the perpetrator by the victim of a robbery which had occurred around 13:00 hrs at the Plaisance Railway Embankment during which the victim was chopped to his hand with a cutlass and robbed of a cell phone.
The victim, a 17-year-old student of Plaisance Community High School, had reported to the police at Sparendaam Police Station that he had been attacked and robbed at the Railway Embankment, the release said.
Acting on information received the police identified Jordan at Victoria Road, Plaisance, and in efforts to arrest him he was shot in the thigh.
Jordan was taken to the Georgetown hospital where he was identified to the police by another victim of an armed robbery as one of two persons who had robbed him at gunpoint of $150,000 at Victoria Road during November, 2009.
This matter had been reported to the police at Sparendaam and was under investigation.
Jordan has been admitted a patient under guard at the institution.
This newspaper understands that investigations are also ongoing into several other robberies in that area that the man is suspected of committing.
Residents said yesterday that Jordan resides in the backdam.
Yesterday, some residents of Plaisance said they were very upset over the way the situation was handled by the police, while others expressed satisfaction that one of the “terrors” had been arrested.
“You can’t shoot a man in he back man… when he running and especially when he is not armed. They shoulda try to capture he some other way,” one man said, recounting that he heard at least four shots which sent persons who were in the area at the time scurrying for cover.
He related that some time after noon, they noticed the man running down Prince William Street before turning into Robert Road.
Two policemen, who were in hot pursuit, shot at the fleeing man.
According to the resident, when the policemen reached the junction on the road, one of them knelt down and fired at the man.
Shortly after that, a police vehicle carrying the man sped past the area where he was. The resident said he did not know the severity of the man’s injuries but knew that he was not from the community.
He said he later learnt that the man was a suspect in a robbery that was earlier committed somewhere in the village.
Another resident told Stabroek News that over the last two weeks, many homes in sections of Graham and Prince William streets have been broken into and valuables including appliances and cellular phones taken.
The resident reported that several nights ago, at least four houses were broken into in a single night.