The husband of the Stabroek Market vendor who was fatally wounded by a businessman last August says that he is seeing evidence of “foot-dragging” by the police as charges are yet to be laid and he is disappointed that a promise to offer compensation has not been fulfilled.

“I want to see the best come out of this. My wife done die and there is nothing that could be done to bring her back”, an upset Martin Atherley, widower of Veronica Atherly, told Stabroek News yesterday.

He said that he is unable to obtain information on the status of the investigation and the last word he got was that the file had been returned to the Brickdam Police Station by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for the police to conduct further investigations.

This was confirmed by Crime Chief Seelall Persaud when contacted yesterday but he could not say “offhand where it (the file) is”.

Atherley stated that it is unfair that after so many months had passed not a single charge was instituted against the businessman who in the meantime is a free man having to report to the police station once a week.

“I am concerned about this because how long could they have him reporting to the station? They are not coming to any closure. This is not fair. This is a new year and no one ain’t telling me nothing”, he stated.

He recalled that shortly after the incident the businessman’s wife approached him and offered compensation.

He said that he entertained the idea because his wife was already dead and nothing could be done to bring her back.

According to him, he heard from the shooter’s wife regularly but now the woman is showing little interest in the matter. The woman, Atherley stated has since told him that her lawyer is saying that they should hear what the DPP has to say before compensation is given.

The man however is adamant that the DPP had nothing to do with this issue because it is clear that the businessman shot his wife.

He stated that the intended settling of the matter should not prevent the police from issuing charges against the man. He said too that the investigators were never aware of the compensation discussions and yesterday he questioned why they were dragging their feet on the case.

“The wife has lost interest and this is disturbing to me. I don’t feel that this is suppose to happen to her (his wife). We cannot accept nothing coming out of this”, Atherley said.

On August 29, Veronica Atherley, 59, of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara was taken to the Georgetown Hospital after being shot in the hip by the licensed firearm holder. At the time the woman had been plying her trade in the busy Stabroek Market area.

According to reports on the said day, around 5.30 pm two men had attempted to rob the businessman and were fleeing when the man opened fire on them, hitting the vendor.

The shooter then reportedly attempted to flee after he realized that he had shot the woman but several persons pursued and apprehended him.

He was then handed over to the police.

Veronica was initially admitted as a patient in the hospital’s female surgical ward but was subsequently moved to the Intensive Care Unit after her condition worsened. She succumbed on September 4.

Shortly after her death, the woman’s relatives had expressed displeasure at the care she received at the institution and had opined that she should have been moved earlier to the ICU.