The death toll from Saturday’s Cummings Lodge bloodbath rose to five after Fiona Singh succumbed yesterday morning amid questions on what could have led to the savage attack on her reputed husband Steve Jupiter who traded for a living.
Police are pursuing all avenues though they have not arrested anyone as yet even as investigators recovered 7.62×39 rounds used in AK-47 rifles and also 9mm Luger shells from bullets used in pistols, indicating that more than one gunman fired in the deadly attack. Relatives of the dead yesterday, were unable to say what could have led to the shooting.
Steve Jupiter, 38, of Industry, East Coast Demerara; the mother of his child, Singh, 23 of Independence Boulevard; their son Neil Jupiter, 3 years; Christopher Gordon, 38, of Princes Street; and Sherwin(surname not yet known) called ‘Dice Head’, said to be of Hunter Street, Albouystown were those killed in the attack which occurred at about 7:35pm Saturday.
Police said in a statement that investigations revealed that the victims were travelling in motorcar, PLL 2279, along Second Street, Cummings Lodge, when they came under gunfire causing them to suffer injuries. Jupiter, Gordon, and Sherwin were pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital while Neil Jupiter and Singh succumbed to their injuries while receiving medical treatment. A number of spent shells were recovered by the police.
Singh and her son had been visiting relatives at Second Field, Cummings Lodge. Relatives said yesterday that Jupiter along with his two friends had gone to pick them up after earlier dropping them off. They were coming out of Second Street when the car was sprayed with bullets. Rapid-fire guns were among the weapons used.
A resident of the area had told this newspaper on Saturday night that shortly before the shooting began he was looking through his window. He had seen a vehicle parked on the University of Guyana back road, and another on the road which runs parallel to it in the New Scheme, a corner before Second Field. “Like they waiting fuh he come out,” the witness had said. When Jupiter’s white Toyota reached the corner of Second Field, the vehicle on the back road crossed the bridge to join the other one, and together they drove up to meet Jupiter’s car. Persons then came out and riddled Jupiter’s car with bullets. The resident said that he could not ascertain how many persons emerged from the car or if they came out of both cars, since he was not looking out at that point. A number of shots were fired. A police source had told this newspaper that one dark coloured car had been seen leaving the scene heading towards the East Coast Line Top.
Police re-visited the scene yesterday and took statements from residents even as four relatives of Jupiter were arrested after an allegation was made that they had looted his home.
Jupiter’s reputed wife, Natasha John told Stabroek News yesterday that she had last seen him at 3 pm on Saturday when he left to go out. She did not know where he was going, she said. She said that they had been together for ten years and Jupiter was a trader and brought in goods from Suriname. “Steve had no problem with nobody as far as I could see”, she said.
According to the woman, Jupiter had last gone to Suriname a month ago and normally brought in clothes, hats and boots. He sells these items to local businesses, she said. She said that he was shot about ten times. “His body was riddled”, she recalled. John said that she did not know Gordon and Sherwin though she had seen them around as they were friends of her husband for the last two and a half years. “I just see he with them. They does be together all day”.
At the Singh’s residence yesterday, relatives mourned. They said that she succumbed at around 1 am yesterday but they were not notified until about 4:30am. Shortly after the shooting she had called her mother. “She call and seh Steve dead, Bigga dead and Neil get shoot up”, her mother recalled. She said that her daughter had hooked up with Jupiter about five years ago. Neil was about to go to Nursery School and all his uniforms were already ironed and ready, one relative lamented. “Is demon been pun them”, relatives said of the shooters. They said that Singh was shot five times while Neil was shot at his knee.
There was no one at the Alberttown address, where Gordon was said to live.
Meantime, at the Sparendaam Police Station, Jupiter’s mother and other relatives gathered after another of his `child mother’ and her children were arrested after it was alleged that they had entered his Industry home and removed some items after he was shot on Saturday night. The woman and her children: boys, 15 and 17 years and a 17-year-old girl were being held by the police up to late yesterday. The females were at the Beterverwagting Police Station while the males were at Sparendaam.
Relatives said that one of the boys lived with his father at Industry and had gone there to check that the place was intact. The relatives denied that anything was taken from the home.
But according to John, after Jupiter was shot, his relatives broke and entered the home at Industry and took away two cameras, jewellery and some money. “When I come home they put two padlock on my door”, she said. She said that yesterday morning, a neighbour called and said that there were people in the home and she called the police. John said that the woman was there along with “her people”. She said that they “get on bad” and the police locked them up. John said that once the stuff is returned, they will be released.
Saturday’s attack resulted in the highest number of deaths since the June 2008 Lindo Creek massacre. It was also the latest in a series of execution-style killings that the police have been unable to crack.
