Man shot dead by Police at West Coast Demerara

Investigators believe a man who was shot dead by the police this morning on the West Coast of Demerara was a key suspect in last week’s gunning down of a West Coast Demerara businessman The incident took place on Monday morning. The dead man has been identified as Kirk Bacchus of Paradise, East Coast Demerara.

There were reports that a number of bandits attempted to rob a hotel in the West Coast area and were involved in a shoot out with the Police.

However, at the only hotel in the area, the Managers said there was no incident there and the compound of the hotel had no signs of any police investigation taking place.

Residents in the area said they heard shots being fired in the yard of a house that is under construction in the area on Monday morning and saw men running from the scene. Close to the Meten meer zorg dam, a woman recalled seeing a policeman dressed in dark blue uniform shooting a man at the corner of the street. The man was wearing a Guyana Power and Light Company T-shirt and was also dressed in black jeans.

She said she did not notice the man carrying any weapon but he was placed to lie on the corner of the road by the policeman and shot twice to his upper body. She said his body remained at the corner of the street until it was eventually taken away by policemen. When the body turned up at the mortuary in the area, the GPL t-shirt was missing.

The woman also told News Source that another man was seen riding through the street with policemen giving chase behind him. It is believed that, there were at least 3 other men being pursued by the police officers. Residents said the only time they heard gunshots in the area was when they noticed the police officers.

In a statement, the Guyana Police Force said acting on information received that an armed robbery had been planned, the police staked out an area at Kastev Housing Scheme, Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD, this morning Monday September 16, 2013.

According to the Police at about 10am, two motor vehicles, bearing number plates HB 7644 and PPP 9366, drove up and four men, two of whom were armed with handguns, exited the vehicles.

“The police ranks challenged the men who opened fired on them. The police returned fire fatally wounding Kirk Bacchus, of Paradise, ECD. A 9mm. pistol with two live rounds was recovered”, the statement continued.

It added that two of the other men have been arrested and the motor vehicles seized by the police. The Police statement said the fourth man, who is armed with a firearm, escaped and is being pursued by the police”.

An investigation is underway.