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Soldiers held for fatal shooting of Venezuelan at Eteringbang

Apr 19, 2011 News

The Guyana Defence Force will hand over one of its ranks to investigators of the Guyana Police Force following the fatal shooting of a Venezuelan man at Eteringbang, near the Guyana/Venezuela border.
Arturo Castilla Balcazar, called “Colombian” was shot dead around 09:00 hours on Saturday during what appeared to be a dispute over raw gold.
A statement from the GDF yesterday said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the soldier at the gold mining location may have been responsible for the shooting.
The army said that the rank has since been placed under close arrest and was to be brought to the city yesterday where he would be handed over to the Guyana Police Force for further investigation.
This newspaper understands that two more soldiers are also under close arrest in connection with the fatal shooting.
However, they are not reported to be suspects in the death of the Venezuelan, since it was they who implicated their colleague.
According to an army source, Balcazar, who operates a shop at a location called Arau, located on the Guyana side of the border, was transporting two other Venezuelans and a Brazilian and his wife in a boat when the shooting occurred.
The source explained that from reports received, security forces on both sides of the border are in the habit of harassing persons using the river that separates the two countries, sometimes extorting cash and/or gold from them in the process.
The source said that Balcazar, was sailing from the Venezuelan side of the border when the Guyanese soldiers called upon him to stop. Sensing that the men would have demanded valuables from him and his passengers, Balcazar continued on his journey, causing the soldier to open fire.
The surviving Venezuelans told investigators that they first heard two explosions, which were followed by another, after which Balcazar collapsed with blood staining his shirt.
They subsequently took the vessel to shore where they reported the matter to local police stationed in the area. “This was utter recklessness,” the source told this newspaper.
The weapons of all the ranks involved have been seized by the police while the body of the Venezuelan man was brought to the city.

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