Update: Two bandits shot dead, another surrenders

After some thirty minutes of exchanging gunfire, ranks of the Guyana Police Force killed two of three bandits who invaded a house at Norton and Victor Streets, Lodge, Georgetown Thursday night, Police Public Relations Officer Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan confirmed to the News Room.

The ranks were praised by residents of the community who applauded when the Police removed the bodies from the house.

“Shoot them, kill them,” the residents were overheard telling the Police.

The third bandit surrendered to the Police after his accomplices were shot dead.

At the end of the shoot-out, the cops recovered two firearms at the scene, while a Policeman received a gunshot injury to one of his legs, Superintendent Ramlakhan revealed.

The homeowner, Neville Leslie, who is a construction worker, told a reporter at the scene that he jumped through a window with his five-year-old son after the men invaded the house.

The victim said he pleaded with the bandits not to take his daughter’s laptop since she started teaching recently but they threatened to shoot him and his son.

“Them man tell me shut up, they [will] shoot me, plus me son if I don’t keep he quiet,” the distraught man said.

The construction worker said he did not recognise any of the bandits.

According to the victim, the bandits asked for his sister-in-law who recently arrived in the country from the United States and demanded money and jewellery.

“Me sister in law come in the country and I don’t know like they probably see she or whatever and they come in and ask fuh the girl wah come in the country and where the gold and the money deh.”

He said he told the bandits he did not have any money since he has been without work for the past two months.

“I had about $15,000 or $18,000. [One of the bandits throw] the wallet on the ground.”

According to the victim, he overheard the bandits say to each other,  “we gon gah treat this boy how we treat everybody else, tie up this man!”

He said when the bandits attempted to tie him up with a shoelace, one of them looked through the window and saw the police outside and that’s when he escaped with his son.

Police Headquarters will later reveal the identities of the dead bandits.