A police corporal, Quincy Alexander, was due to be medevaced to Georgetown yesterday afternoon after being shot in the back, allegedly by members of the ‘Sindicatos’ gang, while he was in a boat on the Wenamu River, in Region Seven.
The attack occurred around midday while the lawman was among passengers in a wooden boat, which came under attack.
‘F’ Division Commander Kevin Adonis told Stabroek News that the boat came under fire from the Venezuelan side of the river.
While in the vicinity of Butanuamu Creek Point, Adonis said, the captain of the boat failed to stop and accelerated up the river. It was at this point that they came under fire and the passengers were forced to lay for cover.
According to the commander, the policeman, 38, of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden was returning to Eteringbang Police Station, where he is based.
Police said Alexander was shot in the lower back. His condition was stated as serious but stable as he awaited medical attention.
Adonis disclosed that it is suspected that the shots were fired by members of the Sindicatos gang and an investigation has been launched into the attack.
In the past, miners who operate along the Guyana border have complained bitterly of the gang attacking their camps and making demands. The miners had also called for more protection along the border by coast guards and soldiers.
Earlier this year, following reports of Guyanese mining camps being attacked by the Sindicatos, Adonis who had visited the area, had said the force did not find any evidence of the gang.
“I have seen miners mining on both sides of the countries’ borders with persons travelling back and forth but nobody can say who are a part of this gang they are calling the Sindicatos,” the commander told Stabroek News back in May.
