A man identified as Victor Da Silva of Covent Garden, East Bank was shot dead at around 8.15 this morning and Foulis, East Coast gas station owner Cecil Gajadhar, 71, wounded in a brazen ambush on Water Street, Kingston after which a bloodied Gajadhar sped away in his vehicle until he got to the back of Republic Bank on Robb Street where he threw a haversack over the fence.
Gajadhar was taken to the hospital by workers of GTM while the body of Da Silva remained in the front seat of the silver Honda vehicle for some time in the passageway separating GTM and Republic Bank.
According to a man, who witnessed the shooting, he observed a grey Allion vehicle parked on Water Street not far from the Cowan Street junction with two men standing opposite it. The trunk of the car was up and the man said he figured it was a mistake so he popped it down but it immediately popped right back up. He was buying phone credit at a shop when he heard ‘pow, pow’ and when he spun around he saw shots being fired at the Honda vehicle that had just turned into Water Street.
It was clear that the men were lying in wait for Gajadhar. The eyewitness said that one of the assailants pulled out a haversack from Gajadhar’s vehicle. A police release later said that $8M was taken. Even though injured, Gajadhar revved the vehicle and sped away. Da Silva had already been fatally shot.
The two attackers then entered the Allion and sped away but not without firing a shot in the direction of the eyewitness who luckily was not hit.
At the Republic Bank area on Water Street, a large crowd gathered. Workers said that the injured Gajadhar sped into the passageway and, bleeding from a wound to his face, jumped out and threw a haversack over the back fence of the bank. It appeared that he had been headed to Republic Bank to conduct a transaction. He then immediately dialled someone on his phone and explained what had happened to the GTM workers who arranged for him to be taken to the hospital.
On March 25th this year, Gajadhar was also robbed. He was sitting in his motor vehicle at Camp Street, Georgetown, when he was confronted by five men who demanded cash. The men then took away a bag containing $4.3M and ran away.
An alarm was raised and a member of the City Constabulary who was in the vicinity responded and gave chase during which a round was discharged in the air. One of the perpetrators was arrested and the bag with the money recovered.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of another suspect by the police.
The police this morning issued the following press release on the attack.
At about 0815h. today Monday July 08, 2013, businessman Cecil Albert Gajadhar, 71 years, of Foulis, ECD, and Victor Da Silva of Covent Gardens, EBD, were in a motor vehicle on their way to a city bank, when two men in another motor vehicle blocked their path in the vicinity of Water and Cowan Streets, Kingston.
The two men exited the vehicle and began discharging rounds at Cecil Gajadhar, who was struck to his forehead, and Victor Da Silva, who was hit to his chest. The armed men took away $8M and escaped.
Cecil Gajadhar managed to drive the vehicle to Robb Street, from where he was taken to the GPHC for medical treatment. Victor Da Silva succumbed to his injury.
Investigations are in progress.
