A miner died from bullet wounds this afternoon after a two-hour siege in which he shot two policemen and two civilians dead on Middle Street.
It is unclear if the miner, Derrick Kanhai died from self-inflicted wounds or from the shoot-out with police during the mass shooting.
Policemen descended on the area this afternoon after the reports resulting in an intense gun battle that saw the two lawmen and two others nearby killed.
Confirmed dead are Lance Corporal Sherwin Pantlitz and another officer identified as Lance Corporal Forde.
Reports are that Kanhai “tripped out” and armed with a shotgun and pistol started firing at persons from his home located at the corner of Middle and East streets. When the lawmen arrived he retreated into the two-storey house and had been involved in a sustained gun battle with the lawmen.
While the police surrounded the house they did not enter because the house has CCTV cameras and the man was monitoring their movements from inside.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene at around 2:30, about 15 minutes after the shooting, the police were seen firing at the house while returning gunfire was heard. A large crowd gathered. Two men were also evacuated from the house next door.
A brother of the man said he was the only person in the building and that he owned a pistol and a shotgun and a large amount of ammunition. He said his brother “just tripped out” and he did not know the reason for this.
Earlier in the operation, police used teargas to flush out the gunman but this failed.
The police issued the following press release this evening:
At about 1330h. today Tuesday November 12, 2013, the police responded to a report received that a man armed with a firearm was discharging rounds indiscriminately at Middle and East Streets, Georgetown.
On arrival at the scene the police found the bodies of Vanessa Williams, a dispatcher at Crown Cab Taxi Service in Middle Street, and a so far unidentified man lying on Middle Street.
Enquiries also revealed that the alleged shooter who was identified as a miner and licensed firearm holder Deryck Kanhai, and who had apparently gone berserk, had retreated into his home above the taxi service.
A stand off ensued between the police ranks and Deryck Kanhai as efforts were made to arrest him during which there was exchange of gunfire and the use of tear smoke was also employed by the police.
During this period Police Lance Corporal 20293 Forde and Constable 18053 Pantlitz were shot and killed by Deryck Kanhai.
The police subsequently stormed the building and came under fire from Deryck Kanhai. The ranks returned fire and he was fatally shot.
A shotgun, a .32 pistol and a .22 pistol have been recovered by the police.
The Guyana Police Force wishes to express sincere condolences to the relatives of the two police ranks and two civilians who lost their lives in this tragic encounter.
