Police have launched an investigation into a late-night shooting in Sophia that left two men nursing gunshot wounds.
The incident occurred around 21:45 hrs on Tuesday in the vicinity of Mercy Wing Vocational Centre in ‘A’ Field, Sophia. The victims have been identified as Andra Stewart, 34, an unemployed man from Guyhoc Park and Alberttown, and Lidj Grant, 22, a construction worker from ‘A’ Field, Sophia.
According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Stewart and Grant were riding separate motorcycles northbound in the area when two masked gunmen approached them on a motorcycle. The assailants, dressed in dark clothing and armed with handguns, allegedly opened fire on the pair.
The victims reportedly abandoned their motorcycles and sought cover behind a parked truck on the roadside as the gunmen sped away.
Stewart sustained a gunshot wound to his lower right back, while Grant was hit in the upper right back. Both men were rushed to a city hospital by public-spirited citizens and were subsequently admitted in stable condition.
Police ranks arrived at the scene around 22:00 hrs and processed the area with support from the Crime Laboratory of the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters. Investigators recovered 15 spent 9mm shells from the scene.
CCTV footage from the area has since revealed what police describe as an exchange of gunfire, suggesting that the victims may have fired back at their attackers.
In line with standard procedures, the Police said the victims’ hands were swabbed for gunpowder residue.
