By Svetlana Marshall

FORMER Guyana Police Force rank Donald McKenzie, of Stanley Place, Kitty, Georgetown, is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital, nursing a gunshot wound to his right hand which he sustained after he was shot in the vicinity of William Street, Kitty on Monday following a failed execution attempt.Reports are that the 22-year-old, known also as “Denmar”, reportedly used his hand to bar the bullets from hitting his face.

A police statement said McKenzie was walking along William Street at about 08:30 hrs when two men on a motorcycle drove up, and the pillion rider discharged several rounds at him, hitting his right hand. The police said McKenzie and the two men were reportedly previously involved in an argument at a beer garden.

Mckenzie’s aunt, Denise Wilson, told the Guyana Chronicle the shooting stemmed from an incident that occurred the night before. She explained that on Sunday night the alleged shooter and five other men had exited a car and visited one of their friends who lives in the yard that McKenzie lives.

“They come hey fuss and buy lemonade, and then went behind de shop fuh talk to one of them friends,” the woman recalled.

Wilson said it was not long after that a man on a CG bike rode up and “lash” the boy (the alleged shooter) to his head.

“All you de hearing is bottle breaking. The same lemonade bottle dem use fuh lash one another, but like de bike man and dis one had a problem,” she said.

According to her, McKenzie, also known as “Denmar”, was returning home, and attempted to “part the fight”, but subsequently ended up in a “brawl” with the alleged shooter.

“Denmar was telling them this is his mother place and dem cannot deh fighting here, and dem turn pun he and another fight start,” the woman recalled.

On Monday, Wilson said, her nephew went about his business as usual, not knowing there was a plot to execute him. According to her, two men on a CG motorcycle rode up in front of her shop at Stanley Place at about 09:00hrs, and the alleged shooter shouted, “The war now start!”

“Dem pass back like 20 minutes after, and dem just shoot den man and ride away,” the woman recalled. “Lil after they pass, a car pass and de driver shout and seh, ‘We carrying he to de hospital!’” she added.

McKenzie was taken to the Woodlands Hospital, but was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. “At Woodlands they needed to do an emergency surgery on him, but that would have cost $500,000; so we transferred him to GPHC,” the woman explained.

McKenzie reportedly told his family that the alleged shooter aimed at his face but he barred with his hands – a lifesaving move.

Investigations into this shooting are continuing.