A five-year-old girl who had a bullet lodged in her throat, underwent surgery in Guyana at the Linden Hospital Complex yesterday afternoon and the operation was successful. A suspect is also assisting police in relation to the incident.
The Guyana Police Force in an update said the warhead was removed from her throat and it was handed over to the Police. The child remains at the hospital in a stable condition.
The warhead was photographed, marked and sealed, and will be escorted to the GPF’s Ballistics Section for analysis.
The incident was first brought to light on Thursday when medical personnel from the Linden Hospital complex reported that a child was at the medical institution with a ‘warhead lodged in her throat.’
The child’s mother told police that she had put her daughter to bed on Wednesday and while she was trying to put her eight-month-old baby to sleep, she heard the child screaming.
The mother went to the 5 year-old and enquired what was wrong and the child said that she had hit her throat. The woman applied ‘Petroleum jelly’ to the child’s throat and put her back to sleep. The woman said the next morning, she saw her five-year-old daughter crying, so she examined her throat and saw that it was swollen. She then took her child to the Mackenzie Hospital, where she learnt that a bullet was lodged in the victim’s neck. There was a small ‘entry’ wound on the neck.
Police say a taxi-driver, 24, of Wismar Linden was held yesterday afternoon and escorted to his apartment, where a search was conducted in his presence, but nothing of evidential value was found.
The suspect was then escorted to Mackenzie Police Station, where his hands were swabbed for gun powder residue.
Last evening, detectives conducted a video and audio interview with the suspect. Prior to the interview the suspect was told of his rights, and of an allegation that he, on January 10 at Half Mile Wismar Linden, discharged a loaded firearm with intent, and caused injury to the five-year-old child who lives in the apartment next to his.
The suspect was cautioned in accordance with the Judges Rules and in his reply he said, among other things, “Officer, is me friend (name withheld) bring de gun and gee me fu keep last night and I try to teck out de magazine and de weapon go off”.
He was asked several questions and he answered accordingly. The entire interview was video and audio recorded.
The suspect was asked about the weapon and he claimed that he went at the Four Corner and gave it back to his friend. Police are currently making efforts to contact the ‘friend’.
Investigations continue.
(Source: Loop News)
