By Navendra Seoraj

A YARROWKABRA, Soesdyke-Linden Highway businessman was able to save his entire family from the negative effects of a bandit attack on his home on Sunday evening.Explaining the horrific incident to the Guyana Chronicle, the businessman said the ordeal began at about 20:00 hrs that evening, when he exited his bathroom and saw his family, whom he had left outside on the veranda, running back into the house.

According to him, it appeared as if they were being chased by someone who had subsequently fallen after tripping over a chair. “The man ran behind my family and fell over a chair. After that, we got into a scuffle, and what appeared to be a gun fell out of his hand,” the businessman said.

In shock, he said, he reached for the gun, and in an act of self-defence, released just about three rounds at the bandit, hitting him and reportedly killing him on the spot.

Seven children, his wife, brother and another relative were in the house, and they were all left traumatized, given that this was the first time they had experienced something like this.

Asked how many people he believes had carried out the attack, the businessman said that to his knowledge, and based on what he had seen, the man he had shot had at least one accomplice lurking outside of the home. However, a relative who had seen the robbers said there were at least six of them.

After their colleague was shot, the robbers made good their escape.

The businessman has expressed fear for the safety of his family, since this was the first time an incident of this nature had occurred. His fear is exacerbated by the fact that he has resided in the area for almost 15 years.
He has had to send away his children because of fear that the bandits might make another attempt to rob his family.

Members of the small community are seemingly in a state of shock because, according to some of them, incidents like these rarely happen in the area.
A police report has said the dead bandit has been identified as 32-year-old Raphael Armstrong, known as “Scar”, of Friendship, East Bank Demerara.

The police explained that a scuffle ensued between the shopkeeper and Raphael Armstrong, during which Armstrong’s firearm fell to the ground. The shopkeeper retrieved the weapon and shot Armstrong to his body, while his accomplice fled.

Armstrong was pronounced dead on arrival at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, and the unlicensed firearm has been handed over to the police, even as investigations are being conducted.