A young Cuban family is in a state of shock after their sole breadwinner, a butcher of Rossignol Butchery was gunned down yesterday morning in a suspected robbery attempt while on his way to work.
Thirty-four-year-old Cuban national, Ofredis Duarte Campos of 321 East Street, Georgetown, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital after he was shot three times.
Campos was shot in his upper chest, right wrist and under his chin.
A police release said that the man was shot sometime around 6.44 am yesterday.
“Investigations revealed that the victim left his home about 06:30hrs, walking going to his place of work and whilst on the western parapet proceeding south on Cummings Street between Middle and Quamina Streets, he was confronted by [two] suspects on a red and white XR motorcycle which came from the opposite direction. During the confrontation the pillion rider discharged three rounds…. after which they fled the scene,” the release stated.
Police Commander of Region Four (A), Edgar Thomas, confirmed that the incident was caught on a nearby CCTV camera. The footage is currently in their possession as they continue their investigations to apprehend the men, who up to last evening were not in police custody.
Meanwhile, at the home of the mother of the dead man, Campos’ mother and wife were inconsolable. The wife of the deceased, Anisley Diaz Hernandez, related that her husband worked at the Rossignol Butchery in Suriname for four years before they moved here two years ago where he began working at the company’s branch on Church Street.
The uncle of the deceased explained that at the time of his death, his nephew was carrying a haversack in which he had a work tee-shirt and a support belt he wore at work to prevent back injuries. He also had his phone in his pocket, all of which were still on him at the hospital. Asked whether they knew of anyone who would want to harm him, the man’s uncle said that Ofredis was always a peaceful person and never got into problems with anyone. The wife of the man’s uncle said that she heard sounds similar to that of gunshots around the time of the incident but didn’t realise they were gunshots. Shortly after they received a call from a relative saying “that a Venezuelan guy was knocked down on the road,” the uncle said. By the time they got to the scene all they saw was blood on the road a short distance away, while Campos had already been rushed to the hospital. Hernandez said that her husband had no money on him when he left for work yesterday morning.
Hernandez wept as she said that she and Campos had been together for ten years and have two daughters of their own, seven and three years old.
The nature of the man’s murder is still being investigated but residents who live around where the incident happened, said that they believe the men who killed him intended to rob him adding that when confronted by the men he refused to give up his bag which led to him being shot while another resident claimed that he was shot when the men realised that he had nothing valuable in the bag.
A businessman who asked to remain anonymous and who operates his business in the vicinity where the shooting occurred said he heard when the gunshots rang out and hurrying to the scene saw it was Campos.
“This guy here is a peaceful guy. He was going to work this morning as normal and then they just come like that and take he life,” the man said.
A post-mortem on the man’s body is expected to be done today.
