As investigators continue to probe Tuesday’s night killing of Brazilian Euclid Da Silva, one of the suspected motives is that he may have been targeted as a result of an altercation involving his son and a known individual.
Da Silva, 50, of Lot 23 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, was riddled with bullets while another man, who has been identified as a fellow Brazilian national, was critically injured after two gunmen opened fire on them as they sat in a pick-up truck outside of Shamdas Kirpalani, on Regent Street, near Camp Street, in Georgetown.
Da Silva was seated in the driver’s seat, while the injured man was in the front passenger seat.
The shooting took place around 10.20 pm and was recorded by nearby surveillance cameras.
The police, in a report yesterday, said DaSilva and his companion were seated in the vehicle, which was parked on the northern side of Regent Street when they were attacked.
According to the police, a white car approached from the western direction on Regent Street and parked behind Da Silva’s vehicle. The two suspects, both of whom were armed with “long guns,” police said, exited the car and opened fire at the pick-up and its occupants.
They then rejoined their car, which sped off east along Regent Street.
In one surveillance video seen by this newspaper, the gunmen can be seen rushing out of their car before flanking the men and then opening fire. The shooting lasted five seconds.
Police believe that at least one of the suspects used an AK-47 assault rifle to carry out the attack.
It is suspected that Da Silva was shot about nine times.
Contacted for an update on the investigation yesterday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News that investigators have obtained information from several sources, which they were analysing.
No arrest had been made up to when this newspaper spoke with Blanhum.
However, Stabroek News was reliably informed that police are actively pursuing a man who is no stranger to law enforcement officials.
Reports are that Da Silva’s son and the man were reportedly involved in an incident some time ago in front of a popular city night spot.
Investigators have learned that Da Silva’s son has reported that he received several threats from the individual and was also recently warned to “be careful” by person/s who told him that the individual would kill him.
The threats were never reported to the police.
Back in 2010, Da Silva, who was listed as a Brazilian fugitive by Interpol, was arrested by local law enforcement here and handed over to authorities in the neighbouring country.
In July 2010, the man was held by local police for allegedly forging a Guyanese birth certificate on which he purported to show that he was born here.
The man operated a business in the city and at the time of his arrest a move was made in the courts to have his deportation blocked after his true identity was determined.
In 2012, he was arrested for illegal entry as well as obtaining a Guyanese passport on a forged birth certificate.
Da Silva, who also goes by the names Euclides Erian Da Silva or Euclid Saigo, was said to have escaped from a maximum-security prison in Boa Vista in late July 2012 along with several other persons during a prison break. He had been serving time in the prison across the border from Lethem for drug trafficking and money laundering.
Stabroek News was told that there Da Silva had managed to secure an order barring his deportation.
Described as one of Brazil’s most wanted high profile fugitives, Da Silva escaped the Brazilian security forces several years ago after being jailed in 1998 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.
After his first escape, he reportedly spent almost a decade here and established a business in the city.
