After demanding to see the President, a Nigerian man stabbed a State House guard five times and seized a gun from another before he was seriously injured in a shootout on Carmichael Street yesterday.
Both the Nigerian, Dethiel Chimezie, 25, and the presidential guard, Constable Telon Perreira were in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) up to press time.
The incident will raise serious questions about the level of security at State House. The Heads of the Joint Services held a meeting yesterday but up to press time there was no word on what was discussed.
Chimezie was shot several times about his body and underwent emergency surgery. Perreira was stabbed five times including to his neck and shoulder.
Police said the attack occurred around 7.30 am at the State House, Carmichael Street, entrance and a fusillade could be heard when Chimezie and guards began firing at each other. The motive for the attack remains unknown and help is being sought from Interpol on Chimezie’s background.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that Chimezie showed up at State House and confronted Perreira, who was among the ranks on duty at a guard hut, saying “I want the President”.
State House is the official residence of President Irfaan Ali and his family.
Chimezie then went into a pouch which he had in his possession and whipped out a knife which he used to launch the attack on Perreira.
Information reaching this newspaper revealed that Perreira then held onto Chimezie’s hand and the knife and a female rank who was present tried to assist him.
This caused the Nigerian to turn his attention to the female rank, disarming her of her firearm. Chimezie then used the weapon and started to shoot indiscriminately. Other ranks who were in the area returned fire, injuring him.
Investigators recovered a 9mm pistol and seven matching spent shells at the scene.
The breach of security at the President’s official residence has raised questions about the level of protection provided as well as access to the premises.
When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday, the roads around State House were cordoned off and there was a heavy police presence around the building.
Police investigators under the supervision of Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum had cordoned off sections outside of the official residence as they commenced their investigation. Hours after the shooting, the areas remained barricaded.
Reports are that Chimezie, who holds a Nigerian passport, arrived in Guyana back in 2020. He was initially employed with a private security firm and last worked as a cleaner attached to a city cleaning establishment.
Amalgamated Security Services (Guyana) Inc last night said that Chimezie worked at the firm from April until October of 2020.
“Many persons work in the Private Security Industry and he is one of them. Chimezie had an Employment Visa allowing him to work in Guyana and produced a clean Certificate of Character issued by the Guyana Police Force before being employed by us. His short stint is not unusual for the industry, and he resigned from our employment `purely for personal reasons’ as his resignation stated. During his employment with us, he had no medical or disciplinary issues. We categorically condemn his actions”, the firm said.
Amalgamated Security Services added: “We find it curious that the report from one outlet refers to the man’s short stint with us in detail but says nothing about his activities before coming to us, or in the two years subsequent to his departure from us. The report is particularly unfortunate, falsely referring to us as a Trinidadian company and seems calculated to harm the reputation of our law-abiding company”.
The security firm wished the victims a speedy recovery and expressed elation that the “brave members of the Guyana Police Force reacted swiftly to avert whatever the motives of the culprit were. We continue to assist the police in every way possible”.
Stabroek News was told that investigators spoke with Chimezie’s current employer who related that he is a “master of his own mind”. The man along with Chimezie’s colleagues said that they are not aware of him having any mental health issues.
When this newspaper contacted the cleaning company yesterday, it declined to comment saying “you may want to contact the police. They know more right now”.
Crime Chief Blanhum confirmed that the Guyana Police Force has since contacted Interpol (the International Criminal Police Organization) to ascertain whether Chimezie has any criminal history.
Condemned
In a short video which was seen by Stabroek News that was captured by a driver who was in the area when the shooting unfolded, Chimezie could be seen standing in front of State House pointing what appeared to be a firearm.
Members of the Presidential Guard as well as police officers was then seen advancing towards him, asking him to drop the weapon. The law enforcement officials, who were each armed eventually surrounded Chimezie who fell onto the roadway. The gun was knocked away from him.
In separate statements, the Opposition APNU+AFC as well as the Private Sector Commission (PSC) condemned the attack at State House.
“As we await further details, we condemn in the strongest possible terms a resort to violence in any circumstances,” the Opposition said in a brief statement issued yesterday morning.
“….We also take the opportunity to commend the Presidential Security Guard for his courage and wish him a full and speedy recovery from his serious injuries,” it added.
“The Private Sector Commission of Guyana (PSC) condemns in the highest regard, the attack that occurred at the official residence of the President of Guyana – State House,” the PSC said in a separate statement.
The PSC also applauded members of the President’s security detail for their “highly effective and controlled” response.
“The PSC congratulates the President’s Security Forces for a highly effective and controlled response which saw the apprehension of the suspect. The effective and well-coordinated response of the armed forces also saw the situation being de-escalated quite quickly and no further injuries resulting,” it stated.
President Ali yesterday visited Perreira at the GPHC. Whilst there, he also met and interacted with family members of the injured Presidential Guard who had gathered to get an update on his condition.
