Uncle arrested for bullet found in child’s neck

Jan 13, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – Police have arrested the uncle 0f the five-year-old girl who was reportedly shot by a stray bullet after he admitted that the gun a friend gave him to keep went off while he was removing the magazine.

A warhead that was lodged in the child’s throat and was successfully removed surgically on Thursday afternoon at the Linden Hospital Complex and handed over to the police. The child remains hospitalized but is in a stable condition.

According to a police report, the warhead was marked, photographed, and it will be taken to the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Ballistics Section to be analyzed.

Around 17:45hrs on Thursday afternoon, the suspect wanted for questioning, Shemar Caesar- the child’s uncle, also called ‘Mama’ was arrested by a Detective Inspector and other ranks of the Force. Police escorted the 25-year-old taxi driver of Half Mile Wismar to his apartment, which is next door to the victim’s. While there, a search for the gun was conducted in his presence, but was unsuccessful.

Caesar was taken to the Mackenzie Police Station, where his hands were swabbed for gun powder residue.  Police cautioned Caesar about the allegation against him that states that “on Wednesday, 10th January, 2024 at Half Mile Wismar Linden, he discharged a loaded firearm with intent, and caused injury to the five-year-old child who lives in the apartment next to his.”

In his response, the accused said amongst other things, “Officer, is me friend [name withheld] bring de gun and gee me fuh keep last night and I try to tek out de magazine and de weapon go off.”

He was further questioned and willingly answered the ranks. The entire interview was recorded both in audio and video.

Caeser told police that he went to ‘Four Corner’ to return the weapon to his friend. Police are currently trying to locate the said friend.

This publication had previously reported that the police are looking for a male known as ‘Shemar’ after the five-year-old child sustained a gunshot wound to her throat on Wednesday night.

According to the police, investigations suggest that the child may have been hit by a bullet which entered her room through a wooden wall which separates her mother’s apartment from the man being sought by the lawmen.

Police said around 13:15hrs on Thursday, medical personnel from the Linden Hospital Complex reported that a child was at the medical institution with a ‘warhead lodged in her throat.’

Detectives immediately visited the child who was receiving medical attention in the Emergency Room at the Linden Hospital.

According to the police, the child’s mother, who was interviewed by the lawmen, related that around 22:00hrs on Wednesday night, she put the victim to bed. She said while trying to put another of her children to sleep, she heard the victim screaming. The child’s mother enquired what was wrong, and the child said that she had hit her throat.

Police said the mother applied ‘Petroleum Jelly’ to the child’s throat and put her back to sleep. On Thursday morning, around 08:00hrs, the woman saw the child crying, and she subsequently examined her throat and observed that it was swollen.

As such, she took the child to the hospital, where she learned that a bullet was lodged in the girl’s neck. The child was admitted to the hospital where surgery was done to have the bullet removed.

Hole in wall

Meanwhile, police said further investigations revealed that the child and her mother reside in an apartment that is on the north-eastern bottom flat of a two-storey concrete structure.

“The apartment has one bedroom, a kitchen, and a small living room,” police said. There is a wooden wall to the western side, which separates the child’s mother’s apartment from the front apartment. The latter is occupied by a male known as ‘Shemar’.

According to the police, a small circular hole, suspected to be caused by a bullet, was seen in the wall. “The entire scene was processed and photographed. The area was searched, but no spent shell was found,” the police noted, adding that no one was present in the front apartment when the lawmen checked.

In addition, police questioned persons in the area where the incident occurred, and a neighbour related that around 22:00hrs on Wednesday, she heard a loud explosion. But she could not say from which direction the sound had emerged. However, just after hearing the explosion, she heard the voice of a little child crying.

Investigations are ongoing.

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• Apartment, police, successful, surgically, warhead

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