Security guard’s gun fired shot that killed Rondell Clarke – ballistics confirm

Ballistic tests have confirmed that the fatal bullet which claimed the life of 29-year-old construction worker Rondell Clarke was discharged from an AR rifle assigned to a private security officer, the Guyana Police Force said on Wednesday.

Clarke, a resident of Foulis on the East Coast of Demerara, was allegedly shot by a security guard on the evening of Sunday. The incident occurred between 19:30 and 19:45 hrs along Second Street in the community.

Following his shooting, Clarke was picked up in a conscious state by police ranks and transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was admitted to the critical surgical bay. Tragically, despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 20:20 hrs the same night.

on Wednesday, during a post-mortem examination, investigators recovered a damaged metal fragment from Clarke’s body. That fragment was immediately sent to the Crime Laboratory of the Criminal Investigations Department for ballistic analysis.

Experts have since concluded that the fragment was discharged from an AR rifle that had been issued to Messiah Mussendeen, a security officer employed by Force Security Solutions. The rifle is now a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation.

Further examination also linked a 9mm spent shell casing recovered from the crime scene to a pistol assigned to Devon Boucher, another Force Security Solutions guard who was reportedly present at the time of the incident.

However, police have made it “unequivocally clear” that the fatal shot which led to Clarke’s death came specifically from the AR rifle in the possession of Mussendeen.

The 25-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after the incident and remains in police custody as investigations continue. His firearm had been seized by authorities for forensic examination.

The Guyana Police Force has assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway and pledged that all relevant evidence will be pursued to ensure justice is served in the killing of Rondell Clarke.