Shooting of wanted man sparks arson in Bagotstown; children rescued from house

By Jomo Paul

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Mere hours after wanted man Jermaine Simon was killed in front of a house in Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara, that house has gone up in flames.

The two-story building, which was home to Odessa Phillips, her two young children and husband, was ravaged by fire sometime after noon on Wednesday, November 11, 2015.

At the scene, the distraught woman told iNews that she believes the fire was deliberate. Remaining sketchy on details, the woman revealed that there was an argument after the shooting of Simon on Tuesday evening with the tenant in the lower half of the home.

She suspected that fueled by the argument, the tenant took matters into his own hands setting the blaze.

Phillips explained to iNews that her two children were in the home at the time the fire was set, but luckily, they managed to escape the home before the fire engulfed the building.

The woman explained that she has been living in the house for more than a decade. Reluctant to speak further, she declined to divulge the name of the tenant dwelling in the lower half.

Twenty – four – year old Simon of 46 Norton Street, Bagotstown was shot at approximately 20:30 hrs on Tuesday November 10, 2015 at Norton Street, Bagotstown.

Investigators revealed that Simon was riding a bicycle and as he was passing in front of the suspect’s house, the suspect suddenly rushed out of his yard and discharged a round at the victim with a handgun, hitting him to his forehead.    

Simon was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he died whilst receiving treatment.

On March 16, 2015, police had issued a wanted bulletin for Simon in connection with the murder of Ryan Sooklall, a Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) teen.

Sooklall was shot and killed while liming with friends in his neighbourhood, a short distance from where he lived on March 1.