A 33-year-old vendor who died on Sunday evening after he was shot to his forehead at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) had earlier been threatened.
Eon Currency called “Muscle”, a father of three of Lot 2535 Tuschen Housing Scheme, EBE was picked up and taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to reports reaching Stabroek News the incident occurred around 21:30 hrs, shortly after Currency was seen having a discussion with a man.
Currency’s wife, Keisha Withrite said her husband had received death threats only last week, from an individual known as “Nelly”.
“He had no problem with no one. The only thing I can recall is last week he come home and tell me he see “Nelly” and three other boys on the road and they say they want buss he up,” she said.
Commander of ‘D’ Division Leslie James yesterday told Stabroek News that an investigation has been launched and the police have since obtained several statements. James said Currency was known to the police and had previously been charged with armed robbery and similar offences.
However, the dead man’s father, Edward Currency is refuting such claims. “My son is not no bandit,” the father said. “They saying he was charged for this and that, the only story he ever had with the police is a domestic violence matter with his wife and working private hire.”
Contacted by this newspaper yesterday, Withrite said had she left home early Sunday morning to work on a boat cruise. She said the boat returned and docked at Parika stelling around 8 pm, after which she tried to contact Currency but calls to his cell phone went unanswered. “He does usually come and pick me up, so I call he and he phone went straight to voicemail,” Withrite said.
As a result, she decided to head home. “Them children went by my mother in Vergenoegen and I was suppose to stop and pick them up on my way home but I call my mother and tell her I won’t bother come because when I went in the bus rain come down, so I went straight home,” she explained.
Withrite said that on her arrival, she noticed that the house was tightly secured and Currency was nowhere to be seen. “… I put down my bag on the railing and start look around fuh he,” she said.
The grieving woman said she then saw her husband’s car parked on the street with two of the windows open and assumed he was in the car. “I check in the car… but he didn’t went in there. Same time I see three boys walking on the road and I asked them if they see he and they tell me I could check up the road where the light deh by some police vehicle,” Withrite said.
She added that she borrowed one of the boy’s bicycles and proceeded up the road. “When I go the police vehicle did blocking the road like how it did park so I ask them [the police] is wuh happen and they say they get some unknown call that a man get shoot and they come here,” she said.
Going closer, Withrite said, she saw Currency lying in the corner of the road. He appeared to be dead already, she said. “After I see that I just start holler and I don’t know what happen after that,” she added.
The woman explained that based on what she was told, Currency and some friends were imbibing at the corner when a man approached and told him that “Nelly” was calling him. He immediately got on a bicycle and was shot in the process of leaving, she said.
A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said she was at home when she heard a loud explosion suspected to be a gunshot. As a result, she and several other neighbours stepped out of their houses and saw Currency lying on the street.
