Autopsies will be conducted today on the bodies of the persons killed in Tuesday’s Middle Street shooting, where five persons including the gunman who took on police died.
Dolly October, Vanessa Williams’s mother, said that her family is still trying to come to grips with the woman’s death.
“We will be burying her on Monday…The government through the Ministry of Human Services will be taking care of the funeral services. They have promised to take care of the children. The youngest one will receive counselling…We are doing ok, and right now I am trying to remember all the good things,” October said.
Williams, a dispatcher with Crown Cabs Taxi Service, was fatally shot by miner Deryck Kanhai, who went on a shooting rampage on Tuesday afternoon, during which he shot and killed two civilians and two police officers before his own death. The taxi service was operated from the bottom flat of Kanhai’s 315 Middle Street home.
Patricia Coates, the next of kin for Hugh Rowland, 71, of 288 Middle and Thomas streets, a former Queen’s College student, said that he is expected to be buried next Wednesday. She added that the date is, however, tentative since family members are yet to arrive. He was a mere passer-by when the shooting occurred.
Enola Pantlitz, the wife of slain policeman Sherwin Pantlitz, said that her late husband will be buried on November 26. However, a date has not yet been set for policeman Michael Forde’s funeral. Stabroek News understands that since the day of the shootings, his mother has gone into a state of shock and is unable to speak.
- Sherwin Pantlitz
