A 22-year-old man drowned this morning while he and two others were escaping after robbing a La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara, family of cash, cell phones and jewellery.
The incident occurred sometime around 10:45h during which a 56-year-old female was relieved of two gold rings valued $220,000, $20,000 cash and one Samsung S7 smartphone valued $60,000; a 27-year-old female of one Samsung S10 Plus cellphone valued $200,000, and a 23-year-old female of one gold chain valued $22,000.
Police say the victims reside together at LBI and this morning, the elder woman was sitting in the lower flat at her dining table, when one of the suspects entered the lower flat from the opened door.
He approached her and demanded cash and jewellery. The two other suspects – one of whom was armed with a handgun – then entered the lower flat, assaulted the 56-year-old victim and demanded cash and jewellery.
She took off the two rings and handed them over, and then started to scream. The other victims who were in the upper flat, came downstairs and the gunman then took the second victim to the upper flat and demanded more valuables.
The third victim was relieved of her gold chain but she managed to run out of the house and alerted neighbours, who raised an alarm.
The three suspects ran out of the house and exited the yard by jumping the fence and ran west on foot while a burgundy motor car (registration number unknown) drove off west on the street.
Public-spirited citizens gave chase along with a responding mobile patrol and the suspects entered a canal that separates LBI and Chateau Margot.
Two of the suspects made good their escape while the other suspect went under the water.
A search was conducted by public-spirited citizens and the body was eventually recovered in an unconscious state.
The body was examined and no marks of violence were seen on the most exposed parts. It was escorted by ranks of the Beterverwagting Police Station to the CC Nicholson Hospital, where the young man was pronounced dead on arrival.
A search was conducted on his person and a red bandana, two gold rings, $980 and a UG student ID card and a black Pro cellular phone were found in his possession.
The body was then escorted to Jerrick’s Funeral Home for storage and was later identified by his mother to be 22-year-old Shamar Charles called “Tanny” of Lot 43 Plaintain Walk, Triumph Village, ECD and Agricola, Greater Georgetown.
The two gold rings and the UG Student ID card were identified by the victims as their property.
Investigations are ongoing.
