Schoolgirl shot in thumb; man, 21, arrested

Police have arrested a 21-year-old man of Norton Street, Georgetown with an unlicensed firearm after he accidentally shot a 14-year-old schoolgirl in her thumb.

The incident occurred on November 25, 2023, at Norton Street; the child of Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, was visiting a female friend who lived there with the suspect, Leon Garraway, a ‘delivery man.’

She told the Police that Garraway was playing with the firearm at around 23:00 hrs when she heard a loud explosion and then felt a burning sensation in her left thumb, which started to bleed.

According to the Police, the child said Garraway then went to his backyard, where he hid the firearm among some concrete blocks. They then went to the Kitty Health Centre to seek medical attention.

The doctor at the health centre on Monday then contacted the Police and reported the incident.

As a result, Police ranks were dispatched to the Kitty Health Centre and, on arrival, the ranks met and interviewed her; she was at the time in the company of a 15-year-old friend who is a student from Houston Secondary School, and the suspect.

Garraway was arrested and based on information provided by the injured teenager, a team of Police ranks went to his address at Lot 69 Norton Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, where a search was conducted in the backyard.

The ranks found a black plastic bag hidden among some hollow blocks, which contained a suspected .32 pistol (serial number filed off) with one live round of ammunition.

Garraway was asked if he was the holder of a firearm licence, and he said ‘no’. He was told of the offence committed and under caution, he replied by saying his friend “Anthony” gave him the gun.

Garraway was escorted to the East La Penitence Police Station. The investigation in ongoing.