Customer shot dead armed robbery

By Latoya Giles Bandits shot a customer dead and accidentally wounded a member of their four-man gang at around 19:30 hrs yesterday during a botched robbery at the popular Fuzzy’s General Store in Arapaima Street, Guyhoc Gardens.

Dead: Heron Dennis

Heron Dennis, of Guyhoc Park, was shot in the neck when the bandits opened fire on customers who retaliated to their robbery attempt by hurling missiles at them. Dennis collapsed and died in the shop before he could receive medical attention. But one of the three bandits, identified as Dwayne Simon, 29, of Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara, was also shot in the back and right leg during the ensuing gunfire. Simon’s accomplices fled empty handed, leaving him behind. Simon, said to be an ex-soldier, was charged in December 2009, for robbing Lennox Taylor of a Taurus pistol, nine .32 live rounds of ammunition, a gold band, a cell phone and a quantity of cash, totaling over $313,000. Sheron Alleyne, a close friend of the dead man told Kaieteur News that Dennis had gone to the shop to buy a juice. The woman said that she last saw the now dead Dennis approximately a half hour before the shooting. “ I see he about ah half hour before this thing happen….we de talking because Sunday was he birthday,” Alleyne told Kaieteur News. The woman described Dennis as a very a humble individual. According to her, he has two children who live at Linden. All of his immediate relatives reside overseas. One neighbour recalled hearing gunshots and seeing two men fleeing on foot. The woman said that she did not immediately know what was happening, but was later told that there was a robbery.   Kaieteur News was told that this was not the first time but the fourth time that bandits had attempted to rob the variety store. The police in a press statement last evening said that the incident happened at around 19:30hrs. According to the police Dwayne Simon, 29 years, of Mc Doom, EBD, and two other men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, entered Fuzzy Variety Store at Arapaima Street, Guyhoc Park. The three men according to the police held up three customers in the Store including Heron Dennis, 36 years, of Guyhoc Park. The customers retaliated and began throwing missiles at the perpetrators, whereupon the armed man began discharging rounds indiscriminately. Heron Dennis was fatally shot to his neck and Dwayne Simon was shot and injured to his back and right foot. Dwayne Simon is a patient under guard at the GPHC. His accomplices managed to escape.  Investigations are in progress.