President attends funerals of slain Lusignan residents
-relatives say farewell to their loved ones
Georgetown, GINA, January 31, 2008
President Bharrat Jagdeo today joined with hundreds of Lusignan residents as they mourned the loss of their relatives at the five homes where the 10 victims along with twenty-two year old Shazam Mohamed were killed during a brutal attack on January 26, 2008 by armed gunmen.
The atmosphere was sombre and many shed tears as the Head of State expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the grieving families, who were viewing the bodies of their loved ones for the last time.
The heinous crime has been described as the worst committed in the country following the Jonestown Massacre in 1978.
In the wee hours of January 26, following a brazen attack on the Eve Leary Police Head Quarters, a gang of criminals who were heavily armed invaded the homes of residents of Lusignan and slaughtered men, women and children, most of whom were defenceless and asleep.
Autopsies performed on the bodies of the victims revealed that many of the adults and children were shot at point blank range.
The Guyana Police Force believe that the criminal heading the gang of gunmen is Guyana’s most wanted-Rondell Rawlins known as ‘Fineman’ who is being pursued by the force for a series of murders and robberies.
Today, the Joint Services, comprising the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) during a press conference reported that two of the gunmen believed to be those responsible for the vicious crime, were killed during a confrontation between the Joint Services and the armed gang in the Buxton backlands last evening.
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President calls on PNCR to publicly acknowledge Buxton as safe haven for criminals
Georgetown, GINA, January 31, 2008
During President Bharrat Jagdeo’s visit to Lusignan today where he joined in mourning the loss of 10 of the slain victims, he was asked by a member of the media whether he will engage the People’s National Congress Reform, (PNCR) on the Lusignan tragedy.
President Jagdeo’s response was as follows:
“I will not engage with the PNCR on this matter until its leaders publicly acknowledge that Buxton is a safe haven for criminals. Their ambivalence on this point puts to doubt the sincerity of their expressed condolences and of their support for the security forces. The best way to honour those who were so brutally massacred is to hunt down the responsible killers. I have given instructions to the security forces to do this. We will not rest until we achieve this objective.’’
On Saturday last, a gang of heavily armed men invaded the homes of Lusignan residents and murdered 11 persons including five children, most of whom were asleep.
During a Joint Services operation last evening, the ranks came under fire and a battle ensued with gunmen, two of whom were shot and killed. An AK 47 rifle and ammunition among other items were retrieved.
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