Seven kilogrammes of cocaine that went missing may have led to last Saturday’s deadly attack and the mother and child, who were among those killed, may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, Police Commissioner Henry Greene said yesterday.
Greene told reporters during a press conference that the latest information is that one of the slain men collected nine kilogrammes of cocaine which came out from Venezuela and was to hand it over to a “certain group”.
However, only two kilogrammes were delivered and the man claimed that the rest had been seized by the police, Greene said, adding that this story was apparently not believed. This may have led to the shooting incident at Cummings Lodge, which claimed five lives.
Greene said the police are working with the information that the incident was drug related adding that investigators “are hearing so many things about a drug deal gone sour”.
Greene noted that around 19:35 hrs police received a report of a shooting at Second Field South East Cummings Lodge and on investigating found motor car PLL 2297 with several bullet holes and the bodies of Steve Jupiter called `Steve man’; his girlfriend Fiona Singh and their son, Neil Jupiter, three years old along with Christopher Gordon and Sherwin Jerome called ‘Dice Head, inside.
According to Greene, the information the police received was that Steve Jupiter’s mother was the owner of the vehicle.
Initial reports are that Steve, who resided at Industry, East Coast Demerara went to pick up Singh and the toddler from a relative’s home in the area and as they were driving out persons opened fire on them.
Greene said yesterday that the perpetrators escaped in a white car. An eyewitness had said that two cars had been parked on the roadway for several minutes.
“We could only surmise that the child and the mother may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. These guys were following this vehicle with the intention of committing this ungodly act and they were seizing the opportunity to do it at a point that was convenient. No one was around, the streets were fairly dark and they choose to do it at that spot where they felt that they could have been successful,” Greene said yesterday.
He said the bullets recovered did not match any firearms used at any other crime scene, which meant, “these are new firearms on the scene”.
Police recovered 22 empty casings, of 7.62 x 39 ammo , six 9 mm empty casings, five 9 mm warheads and one 7.62 x 39 warhead. The 9 mm shells, Greene said, suggested that a 9 mm weapon was used, while the 7.62 x 39 suggested an AK-47 or M70 firearm. He added that more than likely, it was an AK-47.
Criminal activities
Greene yesterday said that Steve Jupiter had been known to the police to be “involved in all sorts of criminal activities”, as well as Gordon, who had been deported for narcotics offences in 2003.
“‘Steve man’ [was] well known to the police to be involved in all sorts of criminal activities. We have heard his name in all sorts of criminal activities that would include persons who were paid to write other people off; transporting of drugs; protecting and strong arming for drug dealers and some other matters which you get once you do good intelligence,” the commissioner told the media.
He said while the man was never caught, their intelligence suggested that he was involved in the commission of crimes. He said police are working behind the scenes to see what additional information they can find.
Responding to questions on Jerome, Greene said that police haven’t been able to find any significant information on him but it appeared that he was working with some shady characters. “…just working with them, not that we can pinpoint him in anything,” he added.
Steve Jupiter’s reputed wife with whom he resided at Industry had told Stabroek News that she was baffled over why he had been killed in such a manner. According to her he was a trader who bought hats, shoes and clothing in Suriname and sold them to local businesses.
Stabroek News has been unable to make contact with the relatives of the other two men. Gordon was said to have lived alone at Light Street while Jerome was said to be “a limer” in Albouystown but lived in the West Demerara area.
