12 dead in Guyana massacre

Another crime rampage in Guyana has left 12 people dead. It happened Sunday night in the Bartica region. Reports say criminals attacked and overran the Bartica police station in an hour-long assault as residents locked themselves in their homes. At least three police officers were killed.


The attack was reminiscent of the recent Lusignan massacre in which 11 people, including women and children, were gunned down in cold blood by a heavily armed gang.

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Guyana's Stabroek News says five persons who had slung up their hammocks on the wharf reportedly awaiting transportation to go about their business were also killed in the chaos and crossfire. Two policemen and several other civilians were also injured.

A police spokesman told reporters the shooting stated sometime around 9:40 pm when gunmen stormed the police station located at First Avenue, Bartica.

A joint security team has been was sent into the area but by the time they arrived the gunmen were long gone, making their escape in boats. They escaped with the police's firearms and reportedly freed prisoners who were locked up in the station's cells.

They also took away the vehicle assigned to the police station after which they went on a rampage terrorizing the community, shooting at persons on the streets.

One witness said he counted 20 gunmen, a description that sounded similar to the earlier massacre in Lusignan. Another said, "It sounded like when they got war. You hear the machine guns rattling off. I never frighten so," adding that "when the bullets go off I lie down on the floor."

A statement from the government said Monday's sitting of the National Assembly has been cancelled as a result of the attack, meaning the reading of the national budget is also on hold. No new date has been set.

Several members of Parliament are going into the affected region Monday to assess the situation.

The attack on the Bartica community has come amidst supposedly heightened security across the country following the slaughter of 11 people at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara three weeks ago in what authorities said was the most brazen assault on a security base in recent history.

Police have blamed the country's most wanted man, Rondell Rawlins, and his followers for the attacks. There's a million-dollar (G) ranson on Rawlins' head.