Survivor of suspected execution attempt still picking up the pieces

Apr 02, 2017 News

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– Working to have police probe reopened

By Rehana Ahamad

Suzana Melicia DaSilva used to be outgoing, fun-loving and very free-spirited. She

worked seven days a week, and had a relatively comfortable life. What was supposed to have been a vibrant career in the medical field, was also on the verge of taking off. But a fateful event on Friday, May 16, 2014, caused DaSilva to lose much more than she could have ever imagined.
The 29-year-old woman was forced to shift her initial focus from helping the sick, to helping herself.
She is the survivor of what police were calling an execution attempt. The passenger seat of the sport utility vehicle (SUV) she was driving was riddled with bullets during the wee hours of that May morning.
DaSilva, sitting in one of the many wheelchairs she now is compelled to use, closed her eyes and went back to the moment that snatched her peace of mind. She recalled almost every detail leading up to the attack.
The night before (Thursday, May 15), Suzana was off to bed relatively early. It was important that she got a good night’s rest. Her parents were leaving the country early the next morning, and as was customary, she was the trusted driver.
The Caribbean Airlines flight took off smoothly that day, but the seats booked to the DaSilvas were empty. Their journey to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport was cut short by two masked men, eager to pump lead into the body of their target.
As was intended, Suzana woke up around 02:00hrs on May 16. While the suitcases were being loaded into the SUV by relatives, the young woman stood in the spacious yard of her parents’ David Street, Subryanville home, yawning and trying to shake off the sleepiness that still lingered.

Everything was just fine, but at the corner of her eye, Suzana noticed a White Toyota Raum parked on the opposite side of the road, oblique to their house. The passenger front door of the vehicle was sprawled open, so the woman dismissed it for someone stopping along the road to urinate. That was not a rare occurrence.
“I was a little suspicious, because my family was robbed before. But then I just ended up regarding it as nothing,” Suzana told Kaieteur News during a chat around the dining table in her kitchen.
When everything was all set, Suzana and her parents got into the vehicle. Her father got into the front passenger seat, and her mother slid in comfortably in the back.
Suzana reversed out of the yard, and the trio was off to Garnett Street, Campbellville, where they had to pick up Suzana’s only sibling.
“Just as I was going to park in front of the house, I glanced at the rearview mirror…that is when I noticed the same white car coming up aggressively behind me. Instinctively, I kind of refrained from putting the vehicle into park.”
In a matter of seconds, Suzana recalled, the white car stopped, and two masked men dressed in all- black emerged from the vehicle and almost immediately opened fire.
“They were just firing; and I don’t know where I had the strength to do it, but I just kind of ducked down and start driving. I left my foot on the exhaust and the vehicle just kept going. Then we just crashed, and I didn’t realize anything else until I woke up at the hospital a couple well hours later.”
Initially, relatives and those who heard of the tragic incident thought it to be miraculous that Suzana was the only one to be injured in such a nasty attack.

But investigations revealed that the gunmen’s target was the driver of the vehicle – Suzana, a young lady who, to this day, is still unsure of the wrong she had done to deserve bullets.
Suzana went into emergency surgery at a private hospital. After several hours, she regained consciousness. It was relieving. The faces that surrounded her was an indication that those she holds closest to her heart, were alive and well.
The bed was adjusted to facilitate the hugs that both Suzana and her relatives needed. But a few seconds into the reunion, she realized something was strange. It wasn’t the headache she got from all the anesthetic medication. It wasn’t the pain she felt in most parts of her body. As a matter of fact, Suzana began to understand that it was the pain that she didn’t feel that was causing her to feel unfamiliarly uneasy.
The puzzling look on Suzana’s face told her family that she was finally realizing her condition. The heartbroken look that was returned to Suzana confirmed that her life had changed forever.
“I immediately rested my hand on my leg. That’s when I really realized that walking, or dancing, or jumping, was now impossible for me,” Suzana related.
A bullet was lodged in her spine, and the injuries sustained were severe. Suzana spent months at a hospital recovering. After she was able to sit properly and maneuver in a wheelchair, Suzana left Guyana. She spent about a year undergoing intense therapy in the United States. By the time Suzana got back, the police case fell under the radar. Her attackers were still roaming free, and all she had left was chronic pains and memory of that horrific Friday.
Almost three years later, Suzana is still terrified, asking herself who could’ve wanted her dead, wondering if or when they were going to return to finish the job.
Because of her condition, Suzana was never interviewed by the police or press. This is perhaps the reason why the case was never followed up on.
“There are a few loose ends that the police didn’t tap into, and I need them to bridge all the gaps.”
A senior police source had surmised that the attack had to have been organized by persons knowing the family.
“Because they knew about the airport trip and everything, so it was a well planned attack,” the source had said.
As days go by, Suzana is not only becoming more skilled living a life on wheels, but she is also becoming less afraid. She is now ready to pursue reopening her case, and having the perpetrators be thrown behind bars.
“Every day is a struggle, but I refuse to let those heartless brutes feel like they would’ve taken everything from me. I am alive, and I am ready to fight for justice,” Suzana said, as tears twinkled at the corner of her eyes.
As she continues to undergo therapy, Suzana has also inserted herself within a group of persons suffering from spinal injuries.
“We have a Whatsapp group of people just like me, who are in wheelchairs, and it’s good, because we serve as a support system for each other. They’re giving me hope in this fight,” Suzana said.

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