The Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Nine, Karl Singh was yesterday taken into custody by the police after allegedly shooting a 25-year-old woman in his motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
Gladys Benedict is currently a patient at the Lethem Regional Hospital where she is awaiting a second surgery to remove the bullet that hit her in the abdomen. The Police, in a statement, said that around 11 pm on Tuesday at the Commercial Zone, Lethem, Singh and Benedict were in a motor vehicle, which belongs to the former, when he allegedly shot her in the abdomen.
Benedict was taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital by Singh, 33, and surgery was immediately performed and her condition is now regarded as stable. The police said that Singh was arrested and escorted to the Lethem Police Station where his licensed firearm was seized and lodged.
When contacted last evening, Acting Commander of the Region, Raphael Rose, said Singh was still in Police custody and that Benedict was able to give a statement to the Police.
Relatives were able to visit Benedict a few hours after her surgery. Her father, Dennis, told Stabroek News that Singh offered to take Benedict and two others home. They were all under the influence of alcohol, he said.
They agreed and Benedict jumped into the front seat of the vehicle while the other two were behind the vehicle. She said that Singh mumbled something about someone removing his gun from the car. He bent to retrieve it and while cranking it, allegedly shot her.
Benedict blurted out that she had been shot and she was rushed to the hospital. At around 12:45 am yesterday, Dennis said they received a call that his daughter had been shot. He said that by the time they arrived at the hospital, she was already being prepped for surgery.
The Police, he said, were nowhere in sight it was only at about 2 yesterday morning that they were called in to investigate. He said that the surgery was a success and she woke a few hours later. However, he said that the doctor was unable to locate the bullet during the first surgery so she will have to undergo a second surgery today.
According to Dennis, Benedict had only returned to work on Monday as she had spent the previous days in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. Dennis said that he wants justice to be served for his daughter.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
