Woman
dies, two injured in Canal Polder shooting
by
Michel Outridge
 Bibi Haleema Alli who was fatally shot. |
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One
person died while two others were injured.
Dead is
Bibi Haleema Alli, 57, of Lot 2 North Section, Number Two, Canal Polder, West
Bank Demerara.
Injured
are the dead woman's husband, Mohammed Asgar Alli, 60, and a neighbour called
Safi who resides over the road.
According
to the dead woman's son, Mohammed Sharief Alli, 30, about 9 pm on Sunday night
they were sitting in the verandah of their house when a villager ran into
their yard seeking refuge after he was being beaten on the road in front of
their house allegedly by a man with a gun.
The
grieving son disclosed that his mother intervened and asked the man with the
gun in his hand not to enter her yard.
 Mohammed Asgar Alli, the dead woman's husband who was shot in the foot. |
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Alli
related that he was sitting on the bench with his friend. The friend asked the
man why he shot the woman and another shot rang out. He was hit in the head
near the eye.
A
relative said that the gunman then walked up to him and fired several shots.
Alli,
who is nursing a broken leg after he was also shot a month ago during a fight,
related that he had to crawl to safety under a bed. At that point the gunman
went after him but did not find him. Instead, the man shot his elderly father,
who was lying on the bed inside the bottom flat of the building.
Mohammed
Asgar Alli was shot in the foot; the bullet exited and he was treated at the
hospital and sent away.
Several
bullet holes were evident on the wall where the shooting reportedly occurred
and dry blood was also visible on the concrete where Bibi was seated.
The
neighbour is presently a patient at the Georgetown Hospital and his condition
is listed as critical.
 The dead woman's son, Mohammed Sharief Alli points to the bullet holes in the wall where he was seated with the neighbour when the incident occurred. |
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The
family friend was a frequent visitor to the residence and had been told that
he would be killed.
A check
yesterday at the residence discovered the building tightly padlocked.
Residents
in the area yesterday said that shooting is a norm in the village since many
are in possession of unlicensed firearm.
One
resident related that she heard when the shots rang out and saw a man with a
gun in his hand shooting Bibi and the neighbour.
The
Guyana Chronicle understands that a popular businessman was said to be the
gunman's target but he was not present at the time of the shooting. But the
gunman apparently mistook the neighbour for him.
"Every
time they get a quarrel is gunshot in here," said a resident.
After
the shooting ended the gunman reportedly walked out of the yard "very
calmly" and headed down toward his residence. But the suspect remains at
large.
Many
relatives who were present when the Guyana Chronicle visited said that the
shooting was a "setup" to wipe out members of the household. They
were reluctant to give any other information regarding the incident.
Relatives
describe Bibi Alli as a very cheerful and caring woman who was very
freehanded. They could not believe that she was dead.
The
mother of five was said to be a peaceful, hardworking woman who did not have
any problems with anyone and relatives bemoan her death and are asking for
justice.
The Police Public Relations Officer yesterday was unavailable for a comment.