Alleged killer in Palm Court shooting threatens cops

Feb 06, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – As the Guyana Police Force (GPF) remains silent on the ongoing probe into last year’s brutal killing of Ricardo Fagundes outside of Palm Court, one of the main suspects is letting the force know that it will not be easy to apprehend him.

Gunned down in front of Palm Court, Ricardo Fagundes also known as “Paper Shorts”

Identified only as “Shop Man”, the suspect has moved to threaten the lives of some of the force’s officers who had gone to arrest him on three occasions.
Fagundes was riddled with some 20 bullets on the night of March 21, 2021, moments after he stepped outside of Palm Court, a night club located on Main Street, Georgetown. A nearby surveillance camera captured the gruesome shooting and showed his killers, two men, exiting a heavily tinted white Fielder wagon with a PZZ number plate that was parked on the eastern side of Main Street just in front of the business establishment. After killing him, the men re-entered the car and it sped off in a southern direction.
Recently, Kaieteur News learnt that a wanted bulletin was issued since last year for a suspect known as “Shop Man” and that ranks had gone to his house, at least three times, to take him in for questioning. However, each time they visited the location he was reportedly not there.
Sources told this newspaper that it appears as though someone with inside knowledge of the force’s operation would tip him off before their arrival.
Investigators started querying the suspect’s whereabouts when he decided to give them a call. He allegedly ordered them to “stop looking” and “asking people” for him and had also threatened to take action should they persist.
A police report has since been lodged against the suspect for threatening the ranks at one of the police stations in the city but it seems that, as a result of the threats, no rank is willing to arrest him or investigate the claims.

A screengrab from the footage showing the shooting outside of Palm Court.

This publication was reliably informed that the report of the threats has even reached the desk of three senior officials heading the Major Crime Unit (MCU) based at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters at Eve Leary. It, however, appears as if they too have opted to ignore the report of the threats.
Kaieteur News learnt that since the threats were made by the suspect, no further efforts were made to arrest him.
Based on credible information, the suspect known as “Shop Man” is a chief security officer working at a prominent business establishment located in central Georgetown. Kaieteur News also understands that the suspect continues to go to work, as per norm, despite a wanted bulletin being issued for him.
Kaieteur News has since reached out to a senior officer in the force tasked with overseeing the investigation for a comment on the recent development but no response has been forthcoming, thus far.
Meanwhile, Fagundes’ relatives are of the view that the GPF might be covering up the case.
One of the relatives, who recently spoke with Kaieteur News, vented his frustration saying that “it appears as if government is not interested in having the case solved.”
The relative said, “We feel hurt and hopeless…none of the government officials have even publicly acknowledge the shooting.”
“When the Henry boys were killed, public statements were made by the president himself (President Mohamed Irfaan Ali) assuring their relatives that the perpetrators will be placed behind bars but with this case everyone, including the police, is silent,” continued the individual.
In a previous Kaieteur News article, family members related to this newspaper, that during the initial stages of the investigation, investigators had informed them that a prime suspect in the shooting had been identified.
That individual was described as someone who would be seen “driving around the city in a fancy car every day and taking photos with politicians.”
However, since then, no other update about the case was given to the grieving relatives.
So far, investigators have been able to trace the car used in the killing from North Road to Palm Court prior to the shooting. They were able to confirm too that after killing Fagundes, the car was driven to a location at Soesdyke where it was doused with a flammable substance and set alight.
The burnt car is presently in police custody and, according to reports, investigators have learnt that every move made by the killers was premeditated and well planned.