After surviving a ‘shoot-out’ with the police, 23-year-old, Ronaldo Chapman, called ‘Packie’, of Half Mile, Wismar, Linden was yesterday charged with the possession of a firearm without a licence, possession of ammunition without a licence and the possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
Chapman appeared in the Linden Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Wanda Fortune.
The offences were said to have been committed on March 27th.
Chapman was also charged with Robbery under Arms on March 16th at Block 22 back road on Marlon David.
He pleaded not guilty to the first three charges and was not required to plead to the armed robbery charge. He was remanded to prison until April 28.
Chapman also faces an 18-month sentence for the possession of narcotics which was issued in absentia.
Reports are that on March 27th, police shot and killed a suspected bandit while Chapman was seriously injured in the shootout.
The dead man was identified as Randy Ronald Jerome, 33, of One Mile, Wismar.
According to a police report on the incident, police ranks received information that several high profile criminals were hiding out in a house in Phase Three Wisroc in Wismar, Linden.
Going with the information that the men could be armed, police ranks confronted the men in the house at about 11.30 am.
On approaching the house, the ranks observed three men sitting on the verandah.
Observing they were being approached by ranks of the Guyana Police Force, Jerome, as stated by the police force, whipped out a firearm from his waist, pointed it at the ranks and discharged rounds in their direction.
Ranks later took cover and observed Jerome jumping from the verandah and running in a northern direction whilst continuing to discharge rounds at Police in a bid to escape.
He was pursued and in the process shots were exchanged. Jerome was shot in the lower back, and later fell to the ground. A black .40 Berretta Pistol containing three live suspected 9mm ammunition was retrieved from him.
Simultaneously, other ranks on the operation proceeded to the house where Chapman was seen at the doorway pointing a suspected firearm. He was also shot in the lower right thigh, which caused him to drop to the ground.
The rank then retrieved the suspected firearm, which he examined and observed same to be a 9 mm pistol containing six live 9 mm ammunition in the magazine and one in the breech.
The third suspect was not found. However, a search of the premises unearthed some 458 grams of marijuana.
Both men were taken to the Linden Hospital where Jerome succumbed to his injuries.
