A Guyanese father of three was gunned down in Cayenne, French Guiana on Monday night as he rode home on a motorcycle and his relatives are calling for swift justice.
Confirmed dead is Hazley Greenidge age 36 years of Lot 404 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme and Cayenne, French Guiana.
He has been travelling to the French territory where he works as a trader for many years, his father Compton Greenidge told Stabroek News yesterday.
The distraught Compton told this newspaper that just after midnight on Monday they received a telephone call that he had been gunned down. He said that they were told that the man had moments earlier left a Chinese restaurant when he was cornered and shot dead.
Asked how many times he was shot, the elder Greenidge said he was unsure but he was made to understand that it was “a lot of bullets and he died on the spot”.
He explained that he had been implicated in an incident in French Guiana but he professed his innocence. He said that it was because of that situation that he returned home earlier this year and remained here for several months.
Compton explained that while he was here, the mother of two of his children died of asthma complications. After the burial, it was explained he returned to Cayenne taking his children with him. Compton estimated that this was three to four months ago.
He opined that the killing may be connected to whatever caused him to return home. He described the incident as an “old grievance”.
The man said that the killing shocked him as when he spoke to his son about a month ago all was well and he had given no indications that trouble had befallen him. He said too that he had even spoken about sending the children back to Guyana for the school holidays.
He said that the plan is for one of his other children to travel to French Guiana to look over the burial and to bring home the children. He noted that they cannot afford to bring back his remains as it will cost them $2.5M, money which they do not have at the moment.
Compton said that all he wants is justice for Greenidge who is the eldest of his four children.
He is unsure what can be done at this level but he and relatives will soon meet to discuss their options.
