A large amount of gunpowder residue was found on the hands of Morris Prince, who is the suspected triggerman in the killing of Smyth Street resident Oriley Small, who was gunned down last Saturday.
Prince and another suspect, Mark Cromwell, were arrested after Small, 31, called “Smallie,” of Lot 2 Smyth Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, was shot several times after entering his yard.
The High Court yesterday granted the police an extension to keep the suspects in custody for an additional three days.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News that an application was made yesterday to the High Court for extra time and a period of 72 hours was granted.
At the time of the shooting, Small had just entered his yard after returning from a Friday evening ‘hang’ in the city. A man dressed in a black hoodie was seen exiting the yard after the shooting, heading towards Princes Street.
A post-mortem examination performed on the remains of Small yesterday revealed that he died as a result of shock and haemorrhage due to multiple gunshot wounds.
A source yesterday told Stabroek News that testing conducted by police found a large amount of gunpowder residue on the hands of Prince.
Small, said to be a businessman, had escaped death twice before after he was shot in separate attacks. In September 2009, he was one of five persons who were shot after a football match at the National Gymnasium. He was also one of three persons who was shot at the National Cultural Centre in 2012, where a football tournament was being played.
He had also had a brush with the law in January, 2012, when he was charged with armed robbery and attempted murder.
The charge against him had stated that on January 9, 2012, at North/East La Penitence, he had shot New York-based Guyanese Felix Alleyne, who lost one of his kidneys as a result of the shooting, and also robbed him of a gold chain valued $150,000.
Small and an accomplice allegedly approached Alleyne, who was speaking with friends, and chucked him. A scuffle then ensued, during which the accused was alleged to have relieved Alleyne of his chain and shot him in the lower abdomen.
Small and his accomplice then made good their escape, but the incident was caught on security cameras mounted in the area. Subsequent police investigations led to Small’s arrest. He also faced a simple larceny charge the same year.
