Shaun Anthony Simon, known as ‘El Hooper/Coil Bottle’ a 28-year-old trans woman, of Grove, East Bank Demerara, was shot dead yesterday morning at King Street and South Road, Georgetown.
Detectives in Regional Division 4 ‘A’ are probing the murder of the trans woman which occurred at about 2 am.
Enquiries revealed that on Thursday morning, the victim (who is said to be a sex worker), along with a 26-year-old trans woman of West La Penitence Housing Scheme, Georgetown, were standing at the corner of King Street and South Road when a heavily-tinted silver-coloured Toyota Premio motorcar (registration number unknown at this time) entered King Street from Croal Street and several loud explosions suspected to be gunshots were heard coming from the direction of the car
Upon hearing gunfire, Simon, along with her friend, ran east on South Road, and collapsed to the ground. The car meanwhile, continued north on King Street and disappeared.
The police were summoned and attending the scene, they observed Simon lying face-down in a pool of blood. She was clad in a black dress, a black shower cap, with a pair of black socks.
The friend of the deceased told Stabroek News that she and Simon were on King Street as sex workers, which was the business they conduct. The friend explained that while she was heading to South Road to deal with a customer, Simon was standing outside of a car talking to someone. The friend said as she proceeded to South Road, the person exited the car and accompanied Simon.
The friend recounted that some minutes later, Simon concluded her business and accompanied her and another trans woman to King Street. While walking along King Street, Fraser observed a heavily tinted, silver Toyota Premio approach the corner and turn into Charlotte Street. The other trans woman left the two to go purchase something at a shop while she and Simon stayed at the corner. As they conversed, the same car returned and stopped. The friend said she approached the car and attempted to open the door but it was locked and the windows were up. She then made several attempts to enter the car as it is customary to approach a car as it stops, which is usually an indication of business, but was not granted access. This led Simon to deduce that the driver was interested in her instead.
“The same car come around back and the car pull over so close. She (Simon) went sit down and I did stand up. I was the first person that go over to the car, like attempt to open this car to go inside. When I meet to open the car, the man drive up little more and I keep walking going towards the car. I go the second time to open the car again and he drive up little more. She get up and say girl is me the man want. I go to open the car again and it pull off with one speed.”
According to the friend’s version of what took place, the car left and returned again within minutes, parking next to a utility pole. The friend said she became suspicious and told Simon not to go into the car, but she ignored her warning and as she proceeded toward the car, the driver lowered the window and several shots were fired from within the car towards her.
The heavily tinted vehicle prevented the friend from identifying the shooter and as the driver fired bullets at Simon, the friend scrambled for her life. Simon also ran a short distance before collapsing.
“The last word I say is ‘girl don’t go’, by time I could say don’t go, the car come around and park at the post, all I see she just raise up she phone and if you hear gun shots and I hold my head and start holler. I run across the road and by time I meet across the road, Pretty by the shop hollering ‘look the woman fall down behind you’. When I turn around, there is the car park right there before it move off. I couldn’t see nothing, the car window black, black, even when the window come down, only thing I seeing is the sparks coming out of the gun.”
The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) is calling for a swift, thorough and bias-free investigation into the murder of Shaun Anthony Simon, in order to apprehend the perpetrator(s) and bring them to justice. They extended condolences to the family.
Simon was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor from the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Crime scene ranks who processed the scene, examined the victim’s body, and what appeared to be a gunshot wound was seen under the deceased’s right arm. Nine 9mm spent shells were recovered at the scene.
Simon’s body was transported to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, where it awaits a post-mortem examination.
Investigations are ongoing.
