Riverview shooting…

Jun 10, 2008 News

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Businessman maintains ‘Scar Chest’ robbed him

By Rustom Seegopaul
Following the shooting death of 26-year-old fisherman Felix Da Silva, known as ‘Scar Chest,’ by Police ranks on May 26 last, businessman Edward Farley, called “Schoogy,” is standing by his story.
Police ranks shot and killed Felix Da Silva, following a report that he (Da Silva) was implicated in the stealing of a generator from Farley’s shop in Riverview, Ruimveldt.
Da Silva died after receiving three gunshot wounds. Family, friends and neighbours of Da Silva are alleging that he surrendered to the Police after he was confronted at approximately 7:30 hours that fateful day.
Farley is insisting that, despite all of the media coverage directed at Da Silva’s widow, Michelle Russell, ‘Scar Chest’ was involved in the stealing of his generator, which is still to be recovered.
Farley said that he locked up his shop and went to bed. Farley’s son, who stays with him, got up to use the washroom and heard sounds coming from the shop. When he investigated, he saw someone inside the shop. He returned to Farley and said, “Daddy, daddy, look someone in de shop!”
The shop owner said that he jumped out of bed and saw Da Silva and another man, called Ravi, also known as ‘Panky,’ running out of the shop. Farley said that he chased after the two men, but turned back because he could not leave his small son in the shop by himself. He added that the boy was traumatised by the situation and was yelling and crying.
Farley insisted that he identified Da Silva as one of the robbers. This all took place at approximately 4:00 hours.
As he returned to the shop, he said, he saw the other man, Ravi, in a car and he was “peeping, peeping,” out of the car window. It was once he was back at the shop that Farley noticed that his generator was missing.
Upon discovering this, Farley called the Ruimveldt Police Station (at approximately 5:00 hours) and told ranks there what had happened.
At approximately 6:00 hours, Farley said, he went to the Ruimveldt Police Station and told the Police that his shop had been broken into and that his generator had been stolen.
Farley said that he was sent to a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer, and after explaining the situation to the officer, the officer said, “Leh we go by he house.”
According to Farley, once at Da Silva’s house, the CID officer and Farley asked Russell where her husband was. She responded that he was inside the house. The CID officer then asked Russell to get her husband, Farley said.
Meanwhile, Farley said, he was looking around in the bushes to see if he could locate his generator.
As Da Silva emerged from the house, Farley said, he (Da Silva) began to say he was at a club in Robb Street and that he knew nothing about any generator. Then, Farley said, the CID officer responded, saying that he (the CID officer) needed to take him (Da Silva) down to the Police station, because Farley had reported that his generator was stolen by someone resembling Da Silva.
At this point in time, Farley related, Da Silva produced three cutlasses and four fishing hooks and said that he was a fisherman and these are his tools and that he was not going anywhere.
Farley explained that the CID officer told him that he would still need to go to the Police station.
According to Farley, it looked as if Da Silva was getting violent, and he turned to his son who was with him and told him to get off the bridge. It was at this time, Farley recalled, that Da Silva chopped him in the head.
Farley said that he fell.
He said that he could still hear shouting and arguing, but when he got up he just ran. Farley said that he came to his senses shortly after, and ran out to the main road, where he took a taxi to the hospital.
Farley estimated that he was chopped at approximately 7:15 hours.
During the time when he was unconscious, Farley says, he is not sure exactly what transpired. He said that he made careful note that the CID officer was unarmed.
Farley deduced that when Da Silva began to get violent, the CID officer must have called for backup. He maintains that he was not in the area when Da Silva was shot and killed, but was at the hospital. Farley says that given his absence, he cannot confirm whether or not Da Silva surrendered to the Police, as his family and friends claim.
Farley said that he thinks  Ravi, the other man he claims to have seen when his generator was stolen, still has his generator.
Ravi apparently used to live in the Riverview area, but, Farley says, he thinks that Ravi is in Diamond staying with his mother. He notes that, since the incident, he has not seen Ravi in the Riverview area.
Farley says that he sympathises with the family and friends of Da Silva, and added that he is sorry that Da Silva is dead, as he was a young man and had his whole life ahead of him.
However, he insists that Da Silva made a mistake by not accompanying the CID officer to the Police Station.

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