Cuban national shot, robbed in Regent Street store
A 61-year-old Cuban woman, Maria Puig, of 25 Laluni Street Queenstown, was shot during a daylight robbery yesterday on Regent Street opposite the Georgetown Mayor and City Council chambers.
Stand Variety Store, opened on the left.
The incident occurred around 12:25 hrs in the Stand Variety Store located on the ground floor of the popular Matt’s Record Bar building.
According to an employee of the establishment, the woman entered the store and was followed by a young man who grabbed at her purse. She said that the man then shot at the woman’s arm. After which, the injured woman raised an alarm speaking in her native tongue, Spanish. After a jostle with the bandit, Puig fell to the ground.
The employee said that the man then ran out of the store and joined his accomplice who was waiting in the street on a motorcycle. When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene yesterday, police investigators as well as city police had cordoned off the entrance to the store.
After completing their initial inquiries, the police entered the store; there was blood splattered on the floor.
One nearby hat vendor said that he was unable to see what transpired. However, he remembered hearing the gunshot. He said that after peering to see what happened he noticed a male running from the store to meet his partner who then sped away.
According to reports, the woman was robbed of $5000 and was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for emergency treatment. When this publication visited the hospital, it was informed that the woman had been taken into the theatre.
Speaking with Commander of ‘A’ Division Clifton Hicken, Kaieteur News was made to understand that video footage obtained by the police only showed the back of the suspect who shot the woman. However, police are working along with eyewitnesses to ascertain the identity of the man who was seen leaving the store.