Ricardo Fagundes, the gold dealer who was gunned down on Sunday night outside of the Palm Court bar on Main Street, Georgetown was shot about 20 times.
Sources told Stabroek News that the police recovered 30 rounds at the scene. Sixteen were from an AK-47 rifle while the other fourteen were from a 9mm gun.
In a statement issued yesterday, Deputy Director of the Guyana Police Force’s Communications Unit, Stan Gouveia confirmed that an autopsy performed yesterday on Fagundes’ remains showed that he died as a result of multiple gunshot injuries.
However, no other details such as the number of shots Fagundes sustained and to which parts of his body were provided.
Gouveia added that three metal fragments were retrieved from Fagundes’ body. The fragments, he said were sealed and taken for ballistic testing.
Fagundes, also known as ‘Paper Shorts’, 42, a resident of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, was riddled with bullets by two men outside of the Palm Court on Main Street on Sunday around 10 pm.
Contacted yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn told this newspaper that while no arrest has yet been made the police are working “hard” on the investigation.
According to the police, Fagundes was having drinks with a colleague in Palm Court when he received a call on his cell phone.
Shortly after exiting Palm Court, the police said several loud explosions were heard. Fagundes was later found lying in a pool of blood on the road. His body bore several gunshots.
In the surveillance footage seen by Stabroek News, Fagundes was seen walking towards a black vehicle, which was parked in front of Palm Court.
As he approached the vehicle, two gunmen emerged from a white car parked on the eastern carriageway of Main Street, ran towards him and opened fire. After several shots, Fagundes collapsed. However, the gunmen still continued to shoot at him, running to the front of the vehicle where Fagundes lay.
Shortly after, one of the gunmen rushed back to the getaway car. His accomplice, then ran towards Fagundes, stood over him and discharged more rounds before he re-entered the waiting motorcar. The circumstances reflect that there was a `hit’ put out on Fagundes.
The car sped away along Main Street.
Reviews
A car, resembling the one which was used in the shooting was found on Sunday night on fire at Swan Village on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
The discovery was made by members of the Soes-dyke Community Policing Group, who reportedly received a call from a resident informing them that the car had been abandoned in the area.
Police are currently carrying out forensic checks to determine whether the car was indeed the same which was used in the crime.
Stabroek News was informed that so far, it was established that the chassis number of the burnt car was “scraped” off.
Questions were also raised about the efforts made by the police in intercepting the car after the shooting.
Asked about this yesterday, Benn said that he was informed that road blocks were set up along the East Bank roadways. He declin-ed to state at what locations.
However, Benn noted that there appeared to have been some “issues” which include the transmission of information.
“I have been told that there were roadblocks set up but apparently it was a question of timing and information passing. There was an issue of what vehicle and where it was heading and so on……..There was an issue of what they were looking for and all of that and all the usual traffic on the road.,” Benn explained.
To this end, he added that some “reviews” are being undertaken.
