Businessman shot by heavily armed gang

Two held in 'Rambo' killing

A 46-year-old businessman, from Section `C' Enterprise, East Coast Demarara, was shot dead by a gang of heavily armed bandits who invaded his home and robbed his household of millions of dollars in cash and jewellery around 19:00 hours yesterday.

Lakeram McKenzie, called `Rambo,' a real estate dealer, succumbed on the operating table at the Georgetown Hospital two hours after he was riddled with bullets fired from what appeared to be assault rifles.

The businessman sustained three bullet wounds to his right side chest, and three in his right hand.

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His death renewed fears along the East Coast of Demerara about a new gang of heavily armed bandits launching out, despite the heavy presence of the Joint Services and heightened police patrols.

According to reports, the businessman, who rears the feared pit bulls, was at home with his wife Chandrowtie and their two children when the attack commenced.

Chandrowtie Mc Kenzie told police that she was in the bathroom when she heard a commotion.

When she came out, she saw her husband covered in blood being held at gunpoint by six heavily armed youths, four of whom wore masks.

She believes that the men had struck her husband in his head.

The men then gathered the family together and ordered them to lie on the floor while demanding cash and jewellery.

The dead businessman's daughter told this newspaper that one of the men pointed a gun to her head and threatened to shoot her.

“The one who put the gun to my head, said, ‘Leh we kill de children and den dey gone give we de money',” McKenzie's daughter recalled.

His wife reported that after the men ransacked the house and found all the cash and jewellery they had, they took the businessman downstairs and several gunshots rang out.

When she checked she found her husband lying in a pool of blood, and she immediately raised an alarm.

McKenzie's brother-in-law, Dennis Singh, who lives four houses away, told investigators that his wife was sitting on their back steps and saw when three men jumped over the fence into the businessman's yard.

He said when his wife told him what had happened, he immediately called McKenzie and informed him.

However, Singh remained in his house, fearing that he would be harmed if he ventured out.

Several minutes later, he heard rapid gunshots, and he ducked for cover.

“I duck all de time,” he told Kaieteur News.

After the shooting had ceased, Singh went over to his brother-in-law's house, picked him up and took him to the hospital, where he remained until his death.

Several residents who turned up at the hospital said they heard the heavy gunfire and they believed that there was a shootout between the police and bandits.

One resident claimed that had the businessman's dogs been loose, there could have been a different situation.

Meanwhile, hospital officials delayed relaying news of the businessman's death to his family, who were waiting anxiously.

It was not until after the body was being wheeled over to the mortuary and cameramen began flashing their cameras that the relatives knew that Mc Kenzie had died.

Police visited the businessman's home, but up to press time, they did not indicate if they had recovered any spent shells or if they had found any clues regarding the identity of the gang.

Wednesday 12-06-2006