One in custody in Bare Root carpenter murder probe

Police have taken one person into custody as investigations continue into the fatal shooting of 34-year-old carpenter Homton Chichester, also known as “Orlando,” along the Bare Root Access Road, Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara, on Sunday night.

Police Commander of Region 4C, Khali Pareshram confirmed the arrest. He said investigations are ongoing.

The shooting occurred at about 19:30 hrs. Chichester’s body was found lying motionless along the roadway with suspected gunshot wounds to the chest and shoulder. He was subsequently pronounced dead.

Reports indicate that Chichester was recently involved in an altercation with a man from the Dazzle Housing Scheme, during which he was accused of having an affair with the man’s wife.

As the investigation unfolds, Chichester’s mother, Mary Smith-Chichester, is pleading for justice. She said her son had returned home only to spend time with his son who was celebrating his birthday.

“I was inside sitting down when I heard residents telling my daughter that my son get shot and he’s dead,” the grieving mother recalled.

At the time, she said she knew Homton was working in Berbice and was expected to return home, and she initially did not believe the news.

She said she later went to the scene, where her worst fear was confirmed.

“I saw a crowd and when I look, I saw my son lying. From the way he look, I know that he was dead. The motorbike was at the corner in the trench and he wasn’t far from there.

“I go and I touch his belly…and I begin to cry,” Smith-Chichester said.

Smith-Chichester said her son had returned home after hearing that his only son’s birthday was on January 13 and that the child was crying to have his father around.

On the night of the shooting, Homton reportedly left home to cut his hair and told his mother he would stop by afterward.

Describing her son as a hardworking and straightforward man, Smith-Chichester said she was unaware of any ongoing issues involving him.

“He didn’t had problems with anyone I know of. He had one incident and that resolve in a peaceful way,” she said.

Still struggling to come to terms with his death, the grieving mother said she is relying on her faith as she waits for justice.

“God time is the best time. I trust God that whoever shot my son multiple times, that they would find the perpetrator,” she said.