Convicted rapist and double-murder suspect Akeem Wong, who had escaped from prison and was being hunted, was fatally shot at about 13:40 hrs yesterday at Groete Creek Backdam, Essequibo River in Region Seven by members of a Joint Services team.
Wong had escaped from the Mazaruni Prison on February 15, and had been on the run for one month. He was sighted yesterday at Groete Creek Backdam, Essequibo River, by a team of Joint Services members under the command of Major Bridgelall, the police said in a press release.
According to a police press release, upon seeing the ranks, Wong emerged from some bushes and charged towards them wielding a cutlass. They opened fire and he was mortally wounded. He fell to the ground and was relieved of his weapon. The police said that the body was escorted to Bartica Hospital.
When the scene was processed, the police found, in addition to the cutlass, $4700, three Sim cards, 1 flash drive and memory card, one scissors, four cigarettes, one flashlight with batteries, one fishing hook, Cdn$100, a cellular phone and a lighter.
Two prison officers from the Mazaruni Prison were arrested for questioning in relation to Wong’s escape on 15th February.
When the mother and son, Nellie Gomes, 75, and David Gomes, 49, both of D’Urban Street, Wortmanville, were murdered at Saxacalli, Essequibo River on March 8, police alleged that Wong had killed them.
The police claimed that Wong had gone to the victims’ house at Saxacalli and asked for something to eat and directions. He was given food and also imbibed vodka with David Gomes, spending some time at the location. It was alleged that he later armed himself with a cutlass and dealt the man several chops about his body. During this, David Gomes reportedly wounded him also. Nellie Gomes was reportedly chopped when she went to her son’s rescue. Both of the Gomeses had multiple chop wounds about their bodies and heads.
A file has been compiled and forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice to ascertain whether any prison officers were criminally culpable for Wong’s escape, which the Guyana Prison Service said occurred at around 7.20 am. At the time, Wong and inmate Gilbert Gill were working in the fields in the custody of Prison Officer Torres. Wong requested leave to defecate and Torres granted permission. However, after around five minutes had passed, Torres decided to check on Wong and discovered him missing. An alarm was immediately raised.
In 2020, Wong, 26, of Lot 62 Half Mile, Wismar, Linden, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for rape by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the High Court in Georgetown.
Despite a guilty plea, Wong told a probation officer that he was unaware that the victim was 14 years old and that he was committing a crime. He claimed that she told him she was 16 years old and had consented to the act. The probation report stated that Wong was regretful that he broke the law. He said that he was now aware that an underage person cannot give consent to have sexual intercourse.
Wong also said that he was sorry for his actions and asked the victim to forgive him. He had claimed that he would have compensated the victim financially if he had the money to do so.
