Rodrigues took 15 AK-47 bullets

Oct 18, 2012 News

Monday’s execution victim, Ricardo Rodrigues, had 15 bullets pumped into his body, a post mortem examination revealed yesterday.
This newspaper learnt that most of the bullets struck Rodrigues in his chest and lower down.
Only one bullet grazed his face, ripping off a portion of his skin.

Ricardo Rodrigues

It was obvious that the gunmen were determined to ensure that Rodrigues stood no chance of surviving.
“Even the doctor say ‘like these men didn’t know that this man was already dead’,” an associate told this newspaper.
Investigators had recovered 41 spent AK-47 shells from the scene, a reflection of the intensity of the brazen attack which also resulted in the wounding of three other persons.
Investigators are convinced that Rodrigues was the sole target of the attack which took place in the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club compound, Albert Street, on Monday.
Eyewitnesses recalled seeing two men dressed in black, firing repeatedly at Rodrigues who was sitting at a table outside the club’s Pit Stop Restaurant and Bar.
Police sources have informed that they have questioned several persons, including a prominent city businessman who had presented himself for questioning.
The businessman was subsequently sent away.
Investigators are also interested in questioning several other businessmen for clues into what is the most high profile execution so far this year.
A senior police official has said that there is no need for any alarm since despite fears of reprisals, the police have intensified the monitoring of a number of hot spots and vulnerable locations.
No clear motive for the killing has been established but investigators are probing whether it is linked to the recent arms and ammunition find at Lethem.
Rodrigues was released last week on $100,000 bail after spending a night in police custody pending investigations into the discovery of three M-70 and four M-16 assault rifles, along with a grenade and radio communicating equipment.
Questions are still being asked as to how the gunmen managed to carry out such a brazen attack in that part of the city, at that time of the afternoon, and then disappear without a trace.
Rodrigues’s death is the seventh execution-style killing in Guyana so far for the year, with all but one occurring in the city and its immediate environs.
Meanwhile, two other persons, Michael Hutchinson, 42, who was hit on his right arm and right foot, and Canadian Jean Le Blanc who was shot in his right hip, were still in hospital up to yesterday.
Yesterday the Canadian national said that he is still confused and frustrated by the incident. A devastated Le Blanc said that he is not sure if his family is aware of his plight.
He claimed that several persons have visited him in the hospital and have promised to inform his family about the incident but “I don’t know if anybody did. Nobody has come and told me that they call”.

Jean Le Blanc

Le Blanc, who has been in Guyana since October 13, last, was supposed to return to his homeland three days later.
He claimed that on the day of the shooting, he was “at the wrong place, at the wrong time” and faced the worst.
“I am on vacation, so I am staying at the Princess Hotel. That day (Monday) I was in a taxi passing the place (Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club) when I asked the taxi driver to stop and drink some beers,” the Canadian recalled.
He stressed that all of a sudden he heard gunshots coming from all direction and the next thing he realized was that he couldn’t walk.
The Jamaican, Michael Hutchinson, is also a patient at the GPHC. His condition is listed as ‘stable’.
Aubrey Henry, who was also wounded in the shooting, was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.