As police investigations continue into the fatal shooting of promoter Trevor Rose, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud said yesterday that sleuths are pursuing two persons.
While he did not go into details, he assured Stabroek News when he was contacted that the investigation is ongoing. Asked about motive, he said that there are several lines of inquiry that are being pursued.
Meanwhile asked about the 9 mm gun and matching rounds and the .45 spent shells recovered from the scene of the shooting, Persaud said that ballistics tests are still being conducted.
The shooting occurred around 5 am two Sundays ago on the Eccles Access Road, East Bank Demerara. Reports are that Rose and a female companion, Latoya Towler, were heading to the woman’s Eccles home when the shooting occurred. They were passengers in a car driven by Troy Nieuenkerk.
According to the police, Nieuenkerk was driving his car when another vehicle drove up alongside and the driver accosted him about how he was driving. “An argument ensued during which the driver of the other vehicle came out with a firearm and discharged a number of rounds at Nieuenkerk and the other persons in his vehicle after which the perpetrator escaped,” the police said.
The police further stated that Rose was hit about his body and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Hospital. The police said that a 9 mm pistol and 19 matching rounds were recovered at the scene.
A post mortem examination later revealed that Rose was shot five times. Towler was hit once in the buttocks by what is believed to have been a bullet intended for Rose while Nieunkerk was struck in the left shoulder.
Nieunkerk, in an interview with Stabroek News, had said that Rose operated as though he knew the gunman and had ordered him to reverse the car when the altercation occurred.
He had recalled that the driver of the other car came up to his side and asked him why he was driving so recklessly. Nieuenkerk, in response, said that he wasn’t and it was at that point that Rose urged him to reverse.
According to Nieuenkerk, before he could respond, the man pulled out a gun and shot him in the shoulder. This, he said, prevented him from reversing and shortly after that the gunman began firing bullets at Rose.
The man made it very clear that the shooting was not as a result of road rage since Rose was behaving as though he knew the person. He said that Towler was struck by a stray bullet during the shooting. After firing several shots, he said, the gunman got into his car and drove off. He recalled that after the gunman drove off he started flagging down passing vehicles to get help but no one stopped. He then made the decision to drive straight to the Georgetown Hospital despite the wound to his shoulder.
Rose was laid to rest yesterday.
