Shot bus driver who saved passengers from robbery attack dies

By Mondale Smith

‘An unsung hero’ because of his nature, Jermaine Allister Burrowes when confronted with a gun, not only lost his kidney, but has paid the ultimate price days after he saved passengers from being robbed.
Burrowes, who was shot last Tuesday night by one of two armed bandits during an attempted robbery at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara (ECD) succumbed to his injuries on Saturday night in the Intensive Care Unit of the GPHC.
Barrow, 38, was shot during an attempted robbery on persons in the vehicle that he was driving along the Liliendaal Railway Embankment.
Burrowes was shot around 22:00 hrs, shortly after he had picked up passengers at the Giftland Mall at Liliendaal. He managed to drive his vehicle for a short distance before veering into a trench at Blygezeight Gardens, ECD.
Reports are that after picking up passengers at the mall, a man flagged down Burrowes’ vehicle. When he stopped, another appeared at the driver’s side of the mini bus.
One of Burrowes’ passengers suspected that the two men were robbers and pulled the door shut, preventing the man from entering the bus.

Jermaine Allister Burrowes

At that point, the bandit, who was at the driver’s side pointed a gun at Burrowes and shot him. The bullet entered his back and exited his right side abdomen.
With passengers screaming and telling Burrowes to drive, the wounded man continued in the direction of Georgetown, before losing control of his vehicle and ending up in a trench.
When Kaieteur News visited his Lot 53 West Road Sparandaam home yesterday, the building was shut tight, but neighbors of the slain man had only good things to say about him.
“Jermaine was an angel who always was helping others and me never once hear he in a argument for his entire life living next door,” Sukhai Singh, a neighbor said.
“This news hit me so hard I can’t even eat since this thing happened. I will really miss him because me know he from since he small,” added Singh.
“He was a cool and very easy going person,” said another neighbor as she shook her head in disbelief.
Burrowes’ sisters, Abena  Bagott and Petal Burrowes, recalled their brother as being humble, jovial and hardworking.
Other relatives expressed hope that “the current system, administration will do something about the spate of criminality to prevent others from suffering such an unfortunate end and to assist with funeral arrangement as well as provide some amount of counseling for those hurting.”
“We wouldn’t wish this on anyone including our enemies.”
He has a small daughter who resides in the Caribbean and he is a foster father of one other.
His demise comes as a major blow to his siblings, who lost their father on March 19, 2014 and their mother passed away on March 17 this year.
The attack on Thomas occurred a day after bandits robbed passengers in the same area. However, only one passenger reported the robbery.
Police have since increased patrols in the area.