The widow of Fazal Shaheed yesterday tearfully recalled his final words to her that he was “not going to make it” after being shot by bandits who had invaded the Lot 194 Freeman Street premises where relatives were preparing for a memorial service.
Rahima Shaheed was at the time testifying at the trial of Shawn De Santos and Stephon Howard who the police say murdered Fazal in the wee hours of September 24th, 2017 in the course or furtherance of a robbery.
The men have both denied the capital allegation levelled against them.
In her testimony Rahima said that she was in the kitchen with other relatives sometime after midnight assisting with food preparations for the one year memorial service of her father-in-law, when a figure appeared before her.
She said that the person who was fully clad in black with only the eyes visible, pounced through the back door which was open at the time, as her husband was outside washing down the yard after doing dishes.
The figure which she described as small-built, pointed a gun at her she said, and ordered her to lie face-down on the floor.
Rahima said that seconds later she heard about 11 shots being fired.
The woman said that she later found her two brothers-in-law in a bloodied state in the living room.
Breaking down on the stand, the woman said that she then found her husband in a pool of blood in the verandah.
Overcome by emotions and after being given sometime to compose herself, she said she held onto to her husband and shook him, but while he motioned in response to her, he did not speak.
She said that neighbours quickly rushed over to their rescue to transport the injured men to the hospital.
It was during that short journey the tearful woman said, that her husband whispered his final words to her; “I am not going to make it.”
She said he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at the George-town Public Hospital, while her brothers-in-law were admitted.
Also testifying yesterday was Lane Corporal Colwyn Major, who said that he had visited the scene from which he retrieved a number of spent shells.
Under cross-examination by defence attorney Konyo Sandiford, Major said that he at that time “obtained no useful information,” nor did he have any detailed description of the alleged perpetrators.
Testifying next was Constable Dale Sam who recalled photographing the scene, of which 26 exposures were tendered in evidence.
When asked, he told Sandiford that he has training in lifting fingerprints, but pressed further said that he extracted no prints from the scene.
Under re-examination, however, Dale explained to Prosecutor Cicelia Corbin that the scope of his involvement in the investigation was limited only to photographing the scene, and so he did not personally dust for fingerprints.
In her opening address to the jury shortly after the matter was empaneled yesterday morning, Corbin said that on that fateful morning the Shaheed family were immersed in preparations for the memorial of their patriarch, when they were pounced upon by bandits who invaded their home.
Corbin said that little did the unsuspecting family know, the peace of their night, would be shattered and transformed into funeral arrangements for a loved one. She said that the two brothers who had been shot and admitted to hospital, had earlier arrived in Guy-ana along with a sister, for their father’s memorial service.
The trial continues this morning before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court in Demerara where Rahima will be cross-examined.
