Police are on the hunt for a gunman who fatally wounded a 53-year-old shop owner at Mowasi Backdam, Konawaruk in Region Seven. A gun believed to be the murder weapon was later found on a trail a short distance from the scene.
Dead is Montague Small of Lot 23 ‘B’ Lyng Street, Charlestown. The father of four had been plying his trade in the remote area for just over a year.
Police said in a press release yesterday that they are investigating the death of the businessman which occurred around 02:00 hrs.
Investigations have revealed that residents in the area responded to what sounded like a gunshot, and on checking later found Small in his shop with a gunshot wound to his head, the release said adding that the building had been ransacked.
The residents also found a .32 snub nose revolver with two rounds and a spent shell along a trail.
The police were informed and subsequently visited the scene where the firearm and ammunition were handed over to them.
The body, according to the release, is at the Mahdia Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Divisional Commander David Ramnarine, told Stabroek News when contacted that the police are yet to arrest the perpetrator.
He said the police were unable to ascertain the circumstances of the man’s death but residents in the area who went in “pursuit of the suspect found a small firearm which we suspect was used in the shooting.”
The Assistant Commis-sioner added that the police have not been able to gather much information as the shop is located in a very desolate area but they are investigating.
At the home of the man, a relative said they received the news of his death some time on Tuesday morning. She said Small has been operating a “drinks shop” in the backdam for about a year and he was with his nephews.
Small’s sister Verna said that the family had received very little information about what took place and were depending on a nephew who was working near the area where the shooting occurred, for information.
She said they were hearing all sorts of conflicting information including that the perpetrator was injured during the incident.
According to Verna, her brother was alone at the time of the incident. She told Stabroek News that his nephew went to check on him on Monday night but had to turn back because a bridge he needed to cross was flooded.
The woman opined that had the nephew succeeded in reaching Small’s shop things might have turned out differently.
Verna who operates a business in the North West District said she last spoke to her brother in March this year when he came home. She said he was scheduled to return to the city some time this week.
Recalling their last conversation, the woman said her brother was in his usual high spirits and at no time did he inform her of a problem he had with anyone.
She said that on Monday she made enquiries about him and was told that he was alright. “Look, he was to come out this week but instead of coming out alive he coming out dead,” Verna said, the grief evident in her voice. The woman stressed that her brother was an “easy-going person” and was not the type to pick trouble. She said he loved to make people around him laugh.
The woman, taking into account the topography of the area, expressed hope that police would catch her brother’s killer and ensure that the family got justice.
She said that the man’s children, who are all minors, are in deep grief. The children live with their maternal grandmother in Linden, she said.
She said that the police have handed over the body to the family but transporting it to Georgetown will be a challenge since no flights from the Mahdia area are available at the moment. Small also leaves to mourn, a brother and four sisters.
This killing has now been added to the several others that have occurred so far for this year in the interior. According to records, 13 murders have occurred in the E&F Division.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud had told Stabroek News during an interview last year that tackling serious crimes in the interior posed a challenge to the force because of the geography of the area, the scattered population and inadequate communication.
In the light of this, police often depend on public-spirited citizens to help capture murder suspects and persons who have committed other serious crimes.
