Nykose Gritten, the Laing Avenue man who police say was shot last week during a gunfight with cops, was on Tuesday charged with the armed robbery of a vendor and was remanded to prison.
Gritten, 23, was read a charge which stated that on April 21, at Pike Street, Kitty, he, in the company of another and armed with a gun, robbed Ganpat Seepersaud of $400,000 in cash along with other items, including a bag containing items belonging to Pertab Kumar.
When the charge was read by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown, Gritten plead not guilty. He was represented by attorney Stanley Moore, who claimed that his client was injured some time before the alleged attack.
But according to the prosecution, on the day of the robbery Gritten, who was on a motorcycle, followed Seepersaud. They say that after the robbery of Seepersaud, the police were alerted and gave chase, resulting in an exchange of gunfire in which Gritten was shot.
Chief Magistrate McLennan later remanded Gritten and adjourned the matter to May 19, when it will be heard by Magistrate Leron Daly.
Police had said that Gritten, known as “Boney” and “Skull,” of Lot 29 Laing Avenue, was shot once to his right foot during the gunfight.
A police statement noted that the attack occurred as Seepersaud, a Bourda vendor, was leaving his business place for home in a taxi.
As he was about to open his gate, the police said, the suspects, one of whom was armed with a handgun, approached on a motorcycle and pounced on the vendor and relieved him of the cash. The men made good their escape east along Pike Street, Kitty.
The statement further said that the matter was reported to the police and within minutes, ranks on mobile patrol responded and confronted the bandits, who discharged several rounds in their direction. “The police returned fire hitting one of the suspect who fell and his accomplice managed to escape,” it noted.
Acting on information received, police added, the ranks proceeded to a house in Duncan Street, where a search was conducted and an unlicensed revolver with two live rounds and one spent shell was unearthed.
A quantity of the stolen cash, which the injured man reportedly tried to dispose of after being shot, was recovered.
Gritten, who was previously charged with the 2014 murder of Albouystown moneychanger Wendell Liverpool, was freed last year after a no-case submission on his behalf was upheld in the High Court.
