Pandemonium broke out in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, on Wednesday morning after a shootout between bandits and

The Police removing the bodies after the shootout

Police ensued. At the end of it all, two suspected bandits were left dead, while two others are on the lam.
The shootout occurred moments after the bandits carried out a robbery on the home of Assistant Registrar of the University of Guyana, Arleen Mc Lean at Pioneer Lane, South Ruimveldt Park, Georgetown.
The dead men have been identified as 22 year-old Edgar Blackman and 22-year-old Sherwin James, both of Tucville, Georgetown. Their bodies are at the Georgetown Public Hospital Mortuary.
According to reports received; four men, three of whom were armed with firearms, invaded the home Mc Lean shares with her sister Ann Marie Mc Lean and took away a sum of cash and a mobile phone.
During the robbery, a report was made to the Police thus resulting in several ranks responding and they were greeted by a hail of gunfire.
Guyana Times understands that as the Police arrived, the men were leaving the building. The Police in retaliation returned

The black tank which the men hid behind during the shootout

fire and in a bid to escape, two of the perpetrators ran into a yard at Reliance Place, South Ruimveldt Park, and took cover behind a water tank from where they continued to engage the Police in gunfire. The ranks reportedly waited and as the daylight became brighter, they continued their operation, thus resulting in the death of two of the bandits.
Divisional Commander for A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Clifton Hicken when contacted on Wednesday evening told this publication that the Police are currently going through their database to determine if the two men were known to the Police.
When Guyana Times visited the scene later in the morning, the men’s hats and other personal belongings were seen in close proximity to where they were killed. Residents in the area looked on as the bodies of the two men were removed by Police ranks.
They openly praised the Police for their work and thought it was indeed welcome, especially at a time when crime is on the increase.
One woman stated that at about 04:40h, she was in the washroom and heard the dogs barking, followed by sound of people running in her yard. Soon after, she heard gunshots and saw at least three men climbing a neighbour’s fence.
Upon hearing the gunshots, she instructed her children to “stay flat” on the floor. However, as the men climbed the fence, one of them made his way onto the roof of a nearby house. “All I heard the Police saying is shoot he, shoot he… and about 60 bullets went off”, the woman who asked to remain anonymous stated.
She went on to say that based on reports she gathered, the two men thought it was safer to hide behind the water tank but the Police riddled it with bullets. The woman claimed that the men were not from the community but later leant that they were from Tucville.
In addition, another resident stated that he was in his house when he heard the gunshots and immediately ran for cover. He was not sure what was happening but later learnt of the robbery followed by the shootout between the bandits and the Police. He too expressed his satisfaction with the work of the Police.
The Police recovered an unlicensed 9mm Luger pistol with three matching rounds, an unlicensed .38 revolver with four matching rounds, and two spent shells belonging to the perpetrators.
The Mc Leans’ when approached for a comment did not wish to speak on the incident. The Police are continuing their investigations into the shooting.