Two men were shot dead and three others injured when a gunman opened fire on them at a rice field in the Port Mourant backdam around 3 pm yesterday.
The gunman is said to be on the run. The dead men have been named as Siphill Lanye and Krishnaraj Jagdeo. The injured men are David ‘Davo’ Harpaul, 38, of Rose Hall Town, Clement Griffith, 48, of Ankerville, Port Mourant and Zameel Abrahim, 25 of Black Bush Polder. They were first taken to the Port Mourant Hospital (PMH).
They were then referred to the New Amsterdam Hospital (NAH) where they underwent surgeries. Abrahim,
a mechanic and tractor operator was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
His father, Mohamed Abrahim said he learnt that his son sustained bullet wounds to his back. He also said that the left lung and spinal cord were damaged which rendered him immobile.
Harpaul’s “right side ribs” were damaged while Griffith sustained injuries to his right hand and left ear. They worked as labourers in the rice fields.
The shooting took place at the Follow-up Co-op, a rice area behind the GuySuCo cultivation about 15 miles away from the public road.
After the shooting, Harpaul and Griffith managed to get into a boat powered by a 15 HP engine and then to a pick-up, both belonging to their employer, Kase ‘Manoj’ Singh.
The injured Harpaul captained the boat for about two and a half miles to where the pick-up was parked on a dam. He also drove the pick-up until he could no longer make it and stopped.
Two fishermen on a motorcycle were heading out of the backdam at the time and they heard the men screaming out in pain.
One of the fishermen then drove the pick-up and along the way a bus belonging to Singh caught up with them and took the injured men to the PMH. Abrahim was later brought out in an ambulance.
The men had gone to the backdam to conduct maintenance on a tractor when the shooting took place.
Last night when Stabroek News spoke to Beverly Crawford, wife of Lanye, she said during the afternoon she received a call and was told that her husband and others were injured in a shooting in the backlands.
Whilst speaking to the media, Crawford received a call informing her that investigators were returning from the backlands with two bodies. Tears streaming down her face, she went to the hospital only to confirm her worst fear that her husband had died.
She along with other family members identified the body. The devastated woman explained that her husband is employed with the Guyana Sugar Corporation. However, during the out-of-crop season he would ‘throw paddy with Kris Jagdeo. The last time she spoke to the man was yesterday morning before he left for the back dam.
The other body is yet to be positively identified. However, reports are that, the other body is Krishnaraj Jagdeo, 47, of Free Yard, Port Mourant, Corentyne. Jagdeo is reported to live alone. All of his relatives are abroad. He was charged in 2013 with the murder of Alfred Munroe called ‘Guana Man’ but was later freed.
Singh’s rice land is located close to fields belonging to Krishna Jagdeo, who is also a contractor and Poonai Bhigroog of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce. Jagdeo said the dead men worked for him as well.
At the NAH, they expressed regret at what happened to the workers and said they were still trying to figure out what triggered the shooting. Region Six Chairman, David Armogan was also there offering support.
Singh received a call around 3:30 pm from Harpaul that they were shot and he in turn informed Jagdeo and Bhigroog.
They also headed down to the scene along with medical personnel in an ambulance and the police. Abrahim who was bleeding profusely, was treated before being brought out in the ambulance.
Police later brought out the remains of the dead men and they were taken to Ramoo Funeral Home.
Relatives of the injured men received a call that they were shot and they should go to the hospital.
Mohamed of Por-tuguese Quarter, Port Mourant told this newspaper that when he got to the PMH, Harpaul and Griffith were already there.
About one hour later the ambulance arrived with his son who started working with Singh during last year.
Harpaul’s wife, Tricia said he had been employed with Singh for two to three years while Griffith, a former fisherman joined the team about one month ago.
Tricia said she received a call about the shooting around 4:30 pm and headed to the hospital. At the NAH last evening she was praying for the best.
Griffith’s wife, Rohannie Suklall, said she was told to go to the hospital and she saw blood on his hand and ear and then learnt that he had been shot. He was also “hooked up to oxygen.”
