Latest update January 23rd, 2025 7:40 AM
Third slain bandit from Norton St. shootout identified -Ramjattan lauds cops, community, but cautions “battle not yet won,”
Police have now identified all of the bandits from Thursday night’s deadly shootout at Norton Street, Lodge, as officials released further details of the incident.
Junior Nurse
A release identified the third slain man as Leslie Griffith, 24, of Lot 165 William Street, Kitty. He was identified by his mother.
Other sources have identified the slain man as Wesley Griffith, also 24, but said he was from Linden.
Wesley Griffith was linked to several armed robberies.
In 2014, at the age of 19, he was accused of robbing Derek Haley of $200,000 and $77,000 worth in electronic gadgets in North Sophia.
Wesley Griffith was also linked to a $5M Amelia Ward’s armed robbery and armed carjacking. He was also charged for gun and ammunition possession.
While making an appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts in July 2014, the accused assaulted his victim, Derek Haley. He was jailed for the assault, and for robbery with aggravation.
Shawn Browne Jr
At the time, he was also before the courts on six other armed robbery charges.
The other two slain men were identified shortly after the shootout as Shawn Browne Jr. and Junior Nurse.
Browne is said to be the son of notorious gunman Shawn Browne, one of the five ‘Mash Day’ escapees who triggered a major crime wave.
Junior Nurse, said to be 26 of Hill Street, Albouystown, was linked in 2014 robbery in which he relieved Ramanand Jagdeo of three gold rings, one gold chain, one cell phone, one vacuum cleaner with compressor, $315,000 and a quantity of goods all together valuing $1,754,000 and one Toyota Spacio motorcar, with licence number PPP 4395 valued $3.7 M.
Nurse was also remanded on February 26 for robbing Champawattie Singh of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, valued $60,000, and using personal violence against the woman. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Brown, Nurse and Griffith were slain after police cornered them in the Lot 46, Norton Street, Lodge home of Neville Leslie, a construction worker.
During the attack, the gunmen had threatened to kill Leslie and his five-year-old son.
The family was rescued by a passing police patrol that was alerted about the attack.
The bandits were slain after an almost hour-long shootout, during which they were repeatedly ordered to surrender. Police said they recovered three handguns.
A police rank was shot in the leg during the standoff.
According to Divisional Commander Marlon Chapman, police received information that suggested that a car transported the gunmen to the area.
The driver reportedly waited in Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, but fled the scene after the shootout started.
Explaining Thursday night’s rapid response, Crime Chief Lyndon Alves had told Kaieteur News that senior officials “have saturated the town and environs with police. We have ranks operating covertly and overtly.”
In a statement yesterday, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan lauded the police, but cautioned that “the battle is not yet won.”
“The Public Security Ministry wishes to commend the work done by the Guyana Police Force last evening in Lodge, Georgetown.
“The responsiveness of the Police Force certainly resulted in the prevention of harm to an innocent family. Unfortunately, but with every justification, it resulted in the demise of three individuals whose intentions were to rob and probably kill.”
“The Ministry is very thankful for the community support which was received last evening, firstly, for their giving of relevant and necessary information to the Policemen involved in the actions taken; and, secondly, for rallying around the Police Force’s efforts in rescuing that family.
“Community support is extremely necessary to fight crime in Guyana. This support realised success in Black Bush Polder recently, as it did on this instance.
“The battle is not yet won. But the collaborative efforts of the public, Police Force and the Ministry will continue unabated until it is.”
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