Gunmen kill two in Albouystown
Escape with jewellery, cash
By Oscar P. Clarke and Samantha Alleyne
Stabroek News
September 20, 2002
Two men were fatally shot and another was wounded when a number of gunmen went on a rampage early last evening and fired upon of a group of men sitting at the corner of James and Hunter streets, Albouystown.
Dead are, Tony Evans, 37, called ‘Buns I’ of Orealla Street, South Ruimveldt Park and 20-year-old Michael Allen of 212 Charlotte Street. Hospital sources last night said that both men died from multiple gun shot wounds.
Another man, whose name was given Ronald called ‘Pukin’ of Meadowbrook Gardens was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) nursing gun shot wounds to both legs and was said to be in a stable condition.
According to a man, who was in the company of the men when the shooting occurred, a group of about 20 of them were at the corner drinking and “making we laugh.”
“I drinking me Guinness... all I hear somebody holler, ‘nobody don’t move’ as soon as I hear don’t move I hear a shot, boh. Me ent wait fo hear nothing mo I just keep running and while I running I just hear shot licking all the time,” the Albouystown resident said. “I run from Hunter Street to Barr Street..., when I go fo come back is shots again. By the time I run and reach the corner two of me friends dead, one over the corner with shots in he two foot. And dah was it.
The guys them [gunmen] gone. It was like three or four a them,” the man continued.
The man was unable to say how the gunmen arrived on the scene as he said he was backing the men at the time. He feels that the men approached them on foot. But Stabroek News understands that the men used a car to commit the acts of murder.
The resident feels that the motive of the attack was robbery. When asked what could have prompted the shooting the man said, “as a matter of fact is robbery because they gone with all the jewellery, all the jewellery gone. ‘Buns I’ use to wear a big band and a lot of jewellery. Michael use to wear a lot of jewellery. Everybody get clean-up, clean-up campaign. I thank God fo me life.”
After the men were shot at they were transported to the hospital in a friend’s car and the two men were pronounced dead on arrival.
When Stabroek News visited the hospital last night there were droves of Albouystown residents in the compound.
Weeping and wailing could be heard throughout as parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends of the two dead men got the news.
“Oh Michael, why Michael, he ent even get to say mommy before he dead. He ent get to celebrate he birthday next month,” were the words of Allen’s weeping mother as she stood in the Emergency Unit of the hospital. The woman said she was selling at a corner not far from the shooting when she got the news of her son’s death. She said he would have celebrated his twenty-first birthday on October 26. “He never use to thief. Why they ent just tek all they want and leave he alone?” the woman lamented as she was supported by the relatives and friends.
“Oh Tony, oh Tony, who go pay me school fee now? How a go survive?” were the weeping words of a grieving relative of Evans.
Some relatives lost consciousness when they were told the news of the deaths of the two men.
A number of residents could be overheard saying that they had warned the men about the corner because of the dangerous situation in the country but they never heeded their warnings.
A number of policemen were also in the hospital compound as they commenced investigations into the murders.
In Albouystown there were bloodstains all along the pavement on the south eastern corner of James and Hunter streets.
A large crowd had gathered. People were heard discussing the evening’s events.