The Guyana Police Force is now probing two separate shooting incidents in Sophia which have left two persons hospitalized with a number of gunshot wounds and which may have some connection with two murders.
According to police reports, it was explained that around 9.30 pm on Thursday, a 34-year-old businesswoman and her reputed husband, a 47-year-old minibus driver were at a shop, situated at their home in ‘B’ Field Sophia, when three unidentified men armed with guns approached them.
At the time, the bus driver related that his wife and a friend were at the front of the shop, while he was inside. The men exited the heavily tinted car with unknown plates and discharged several rounds at him and his wife, re-entered the car and escaped.
The two injured persons were quickly rushed to the hospital. At press time only the businesswoman remained in hospital with several gunshot wounds to the right side of her face, two to her right arm and one to her left elbow. The bus driver was shot two times in his upper back.
At the scene, four 9mm spent shells and a suspected warhead were found. CCTV cameras attached to the victims’ shop were viewed and footage was extracted as the investigation continues.
While police continued to probe that incident, just across from the crime scene, another man was shot several times as armed men tried to burn his house down.
That police report said that the incident occurred just about 00:30 hours on Friday at ‘B’ Field Reserve Dam, Sophia, where a 39-year-old vendor along with his wife lived with their two children.
At the said time, the scent of smoke awakened the family. The vendor later got up to control the blaze but was confronted by an unidentified male. The vendor heard a loud explosion and later felt a burning sensation in the leg and saw the suspect escaping.
The vendor later found out that he had been shot and had to be rushed to the hospital.
A 9mm spent shell was found at the scene while the southern door was scorched. The vendor remains in a stable condition at a hospital.
Witnesses in the area suspected that it was the very same car the suspect arrived in that previously brought the three men to the area for the first attack.
As the investigation continues in both matters, Stabroek News was made to understand that the businesswoman, who was a victim of the first shooting is also one of the main witnesses in the murder of Jaleel Leow who was shot and killed in the very same yard in which she lives on August 2nd 2021.
During that period, Leow, Brandon Smith and the businesswoman were at the shop when they were approached by several men armed with a handgun and cutlasses.
The men, who came on bicycles, dismounted their cycles and had asked if they wanted trouble, to which they responded in the negative.
Armed with a handgun, one of the suspects allegedly shot and killed him and later turned his attention to Smith and fired several rounds in his direction.
Smith survived but Leow was not as fortunate as he was shot several times including in the neck and he died later.
The killing of Kevin Campbell in March 2020 is also thought to be connected to some of the suspects.
For some time the names of ‘Big John’ or ‘Double Clip’ and ‘Brainer’ have been popping up as suspects. It is unclear however if the three suspects were involved in these shootings.
