A man shot by police on Saturday night has denied to his family any involvement in the incident that same evening when a 29-year-old man was hit with bullets in what seemed to be an execution-style attack.
“He tell me the other night that they had a session (party) at Globe Yard and the police come and start shoot and he try to run in a corner but he get hit,” Ronald Satamby, the father of 24-year-old Joseph Barker told Stabroek News yesterday.
Barker was shot by police on the evening in question after his suspected involvement in the shooting which occurred at Waterloo Street, Georgetown, just a few minutes earlier.
Satamby said that a police rank visited his son at the Georgetown Public Hospital yesterday morning and took a statement from him during which he was threatened.
He added that his son’s condition is improving and they are anticipating court day.
According to the police, around 9:10 pm Kevin Singh of First Field, South Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara, was at Waterloo Street, Georgetown in the company of some other men.
Three males then approached them on motorcycles which bore no number plates and one of the men discharged several rounds at Singh before they made their escape on the bikes.
Plain clothes ranks on a mobile patrol gave chase behind the bikes and during efforts to apprehend the suspects, one of the men was shot to his left thigh and hip. He has been identified as Barker. Barker was admitted and remains a patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital while Singh is being treated at a private hospital.
A second suspect was also arrested and one of the motorcycles has since been detained while the third person managed to escape. An unlicensed .357 Magnum revolver with four spent shells has been recovered by the police.
The person who was arrested was said to be detained at the Brickdam Police Station.
Observers see the detention of the duo as potentially important as the modus operandi for Saturday’s attack was similar to other execution-style attacks which have gone unsolved. The observers say that the police should be working overtime to gather identification and ballistics evidence and assess similarities in recent attacks. The most recent attack was the fatal shooting of the Pest Co owner on Thomas Street, Cummingsburg. Gunmen on motorcycles were also involved in this attack. No one was charged.
