By Rae Wiltshire
An 83-year-old United Kingdom-based Guyanese man is now in critical condition at a private city hospital after he was shot multiple times by bandits, who pounced on him shortly after he arrived in the country.
Glendon Cadogan, a retiree, was shot in his chest, abdomen and arm in the ambush, which occurred at about 9:40AM outside the Springfield Street residence, where he planned to stay at Shirley Field-Ridley Square, Georgetown.
Based on eyewitness accounts, the bandits appeared to have planned the robbery and waited patiently for Cadogan’s arrival in a taxi at the residence.
In a statement on the shooting, the police said a woman has been arrested.
According to the statement, Cadogan had travelled from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri and was confronted by three men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, who drove up in a car.
The men demanded a bag that he had in his possession but he resisted and was shot to his abdomen and left arm. The perpetrators then escaped with the bag, police added.
Cadogan was relieved of £1000, a traveller’s cheque and other articles.
“It looks like these people had him under surveillance,” one eyewitness said.
She recounted that Cadogan, a female and an airport driver had arrived at the residence. Cadogan’s driver exited the car and proceeded to open the trunk to take out his passenger’s bags.
However, while this was happening, a black car and yellow car that were waiting in the narrow street swiftly cut off Cadogan’s driver. The eyewitness said two young men, who looked like they were in their early 20s, exited.
She said the men passed the taxi driver and told him to step aside. “Is na you we come for,” the woman quoted one of them as saying. “And this man had a fat gold chain and fat gold band, so you know they plan this thing,” she added.
The eyewitness said the men pounced on Cadogan as he exited the vehicle, drew a gun on him and demanded his bag. The man resisted them and one of the bandits got irate and shot him several times. The woman said she believed they had no intention of using the gun since they held it above the car.
The eyewitness started to scream and it startled the men. The woman said the men hurried to their car and started to laugh.
The eyewitness said even though Cadogan was shot multiple times, he did not fall. “It was like things you does see in movie, like ya can’t believe this, that this thing happen right hay, and the place so bright,” she added.
After the bandits drove off, the woman rushed over.
The woman said fear paralysed the taxi driver and she along with another resident who lived a few feet down rushed Cadogan to the private hospital.
Her daughter, who is a trained medic, accompanied and applied pressure to the man’s wounds until he reached the hospital. She used a jersey and his sweater to stop the flow of blood.
The man stayed conscious until he reached the hospital and was given an anaesthetic. The eyewitness said his last words before going into surgery were; “Call meh daughter. Call meh daughter.”
Meanwhile, the man’s sister, Gloria David, noted that Cadogan would return home often and he told her that he was going to arrive yesterday.
She said she was surprised that he arrived so early and when she heard the car pull up in the driveway she went out to check. “I went back inside and ‘Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! I hear five bullets. But I didn’t know is me brother get shoot,” David noted. “I barely turn back and it was like five shots, this thing happen so quick.”
David said her brother would usually not tell people where he was staying for security reasons.
When Stabroek News visited the area, neighbours were in David’s yard expressing their shock that such a crime could be committed in broad daylight.
