Tuesday afternoon’s shooting to death of four people by an unhinged man who subsequently also died by way of a bullet was not something that one ever imagined would have been associated with Guyana. It was the type of scenario we had grown used to seeing on the news, occurring in North America ‒ in the United States more often than not. We can no longer afford to ever be that naïve again.
So far, there appears to be no connection between Mr Khanai and the people whose lives he took; no indication that he knew them personally or was even acquainted with them. Since Mr Khanai did not appear to be settling a score, the only other explanation is that he had taken leave of his senses.
It is unlikely that the reason for Deryck Khanai’s apparent insanity will ever be known. He was apparently alone in his home when it happened. If there was anyone with him, that person managed to escape or left before the onset of his full-blown irrationality.
There was no mention of any history of mental illness affecting Mr Khanai before yesterday. However, there was that curious incident in July 2010 where he had shot himself in the chin with a .357 Magnum revolver. According to reports, though a brother was in the house with him at the time, Mr Khanai had been alone when he wounded himself. Curiously, at that time he was not a licensed firearm holder. More curious is the fact that he was subsequently granted a firearm licence, even though he should have had a conviction (and therefore a criminal record) for the incident involving the illegal Magnum revolver. It is not known, however, if he was even charged following his stay in hospital for treatment for his self-inflicted wound.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce therefore that Mr Khanai was well connected at a level that not only ensured that he took no responsibility for his actions but was seemingly rewarded with being able to own a legal gun.
Meanwhile, what emerged after the dust had settled on Tuesday was that Mr Khanai had been experiencing paranoia prior to going totally berserk. According to a relative, he had expressed fear that he was being watched and that relatives were trying to do him something.
According to medicine.net, “Paranoia refers to the perception or suspicion [by someone] that others have hostile or aggressive motives… when in fact there is no reason for these suspicions. People experiencing paranoia believe that others are persecuting them and have delusional ideas about themselves as central figures in scenarios that in reality have little relevance to them. Minor feelings of paranoia are common, but severe paranoia can cause significant fear and anxiety and can have a pronounced effect on social functioning. Feelings of paranoia can be observed with many psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, as well as with a number of medical diseases…”
Mr Khanai had also claimed that his life was threatened, the relative said, and he had resorted to alcohol. He would not have been doing himself any good, particularly if he was a heavy drinker in the first place as alcohol-related psychosis has been known to manifest itself in the form of delusions, hallucinations and paranoia.
Mr Khanai may have needed help, but not the kind of help he received. Not the help that puts a dangerous weapon in the hands of someone who by dint of his own prior self-harm might hurt others. Unfortunately, because of the lack of professional mental health services in this country and the number of illegal guns barrelling over our borders, Tuesday’s events could well be repeated. It will fall to law enforcement to ensure that there is minimal collateral damage and they can only do this by doing the right thing.