Agricola family recalls horror of gunmen's attack
Slain mother's son stable
By Kim Lucas
Stabroek News
January 15, 2003
The Seckle family of Agricola, East Bank Demerara was yesterday trying to come to terms with the murder of their wife and mother, who was shot dead by bandits on Monday night.
Roxanne Seckle, 36, died before reaching the Georgetown Public Hospital where she and her eldest child, Clifton Seckle Jr, 20, were rushed. The young man was said to be in a stable condition yesterday.
Clifton Seckle Snr yesterday told Stabroek News that prior to the 7:10 pm incident, his son was selling in the shop, but left to go to the family home opposite the place of business.
"My niece was left in the shop, so I went across...but before that, my wife was sitting in the chair and she leave and go in the kitchen to prepare something," the man recalled.
At the time, two of Roxanne's relatives were visiting the home and the couple's 12-year-old daughter, was in the sitting room doing her homework. Clifton Jr and the Seckles' other daughter were studying in a bedroom to the rear of the house.
"When the two bandits came in, she [Roxanne] was in the kitchen preparing...They put de gun to the small daughter head first asking her where was her mother. She just keep writing, she didn't answer them. They looked and saw her mother in the kitchen and went straight there, demanding jewellery and cash. She take off what she had, a few rings, a chain and earrings."
According to the man, the gunmen took his wife into one of the bedrooms, demanding more jewellery and cash, but it was at that time that the two older children became aware that something was amiss and left their room.
"They hear and my daughter jump up...they [the bandits] point the gun at her and her brother jumped in front and say, `No! Don't shoot her!'" Clifton Jr was shot several times instead and had to be rushed to the hospital in a critical condition.
By that time, the 12-year-old had dashed from the house and alerted her father and cousin across the road. Shortly after, the gunmen entered the shop shooting. They carted away an undisclosed amount of cash and left.
One of the dead woman's relatives told this newspaper shortly after the shooting that she had not paid much attention to the faint gunshots until after the child burst into the shop and alerted them.
When Seckle went to his home, his wife was found slumped in a corner of the room, bleeding profusely while his son was on the floor of one the rooms.
Several people, including four policemen and a member of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, have been gunned down since the start of the new year.
