Two suspects in the murder of taxi driver Kelvin Walters, who was fatally shot on the Eccles, East Bank Demerara public road on Tuesday night, have been arrested.
In a press statement issued last night, Police Public Relations Officer Jairam Ramlakhan said that one of suspects has already been positively identified. He said that both men sustained “injuries consistent with that of a motor vehicle accident” and they are currently under guard at a private hospital.
Walters was shot by a man on a motorcycle. Police said Walters was proceeding south along the eastern carriageway of the road in his car PXX 1509 with his wife and child at around 7:20 pm and was heading home. He resided at Parfait Harmonie on the West Bank of Demerara.
Whilst in the vicinity of the Two Brothers Service Station, the police said, two males on a motorcycle approached and turned in front of his vehicle and the pillion rider whipped out a handgun and shot Walters in the face.
Walters, nonetheless, managed to hit the suspects using his car. The duo fled on foot. Their motorcycle and firearm with 14 live rounds was left behind on the crime scene and later recovered by the police.
The identified suspect, Stabroek News was told, sought medical attention at the Woodlands Hospital and was arrested while receiving medical attention.
Police Commander of ‘A’ Division Marlon Chapman said investigators were tipped off on the suspect’s location and arrested him. Asked whether a motive for the shooting had been established, Chapman responded in the negative and said that the police were still gathering information.
Meanwhile, Crime Chief Lyndon Alves confirmed reports that Walters was a witness in the case of a grenade being found outside the offices of the Kaieteur News at Saffon Street, Charlestown on June 4th 2016. Walters had testified in the preliminary inquiry in the Georgetown Magistrates’ court. The matter is set to come up in the High Court later this year.
The accused men, Alfie Garraway, Janiel Howard and Leroy Williams were committed to stand trial after Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan ruled that a prima facie case had been made out against them. She overruled the no-case submission made by their attorneys at the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry into the charge.
Alves noted that no connection has been made between Walters’ death and him being a witness in the case.
Stabroek News reached out to the Walters family yesterday but they declined to speak and requested that their time of grief be respected.