Forde to be buried today
Rhonda Aretta Forde who was killed during the 11-hour exchange of gunfire between Linden London called 'Blackie' and members of the joint services at Eccles a week ago, is to be buried today. Forde, 28, was killed on Tuesday night during a siege at the Toucan Guest House where the wanted London was holed up for 11 hours as he defied members of the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force. Forde's body will leave her relatives' home for the Good Shepherd Church, Bent Street for a 1500 hrs service, thence to Le Repentir cemetery for burial. Maisie Forde, Rhonda's mother returned to the country on Wednesday to bury her daughter, whom, she said, she had not seen for five years. Maisie Forde said she had last seen her daughter five years ago when she came home to bury her mother. The grieving woman said she spoke with Rhonda a week before she was killed. She said that her daughter should not have been killed, because she was no bandit. The mother told Stabroek News Rhonda worked as a conductor on a mini-bus and she did not know how she became mixed-up with London. Forde said she spoke often with her daughter and she had never mentioned London's name to her, but spoke of her reputed husband Dexter Dubisett. She said she had not been able to ascertain how her daughter met her death, but has heard several versions of the events at Eccles on the fateful night. The woman said she was not in receipt of the report of the post- mortem examination done on her daughter, but heard that she was shot several times. It was unclear as to how the woman met her death. Police said that during the standoff, her lifeless body was thrown through a window. According to the police, ranks tried to get to her but were dissuaded by exploding grenades which were thrown by London. Another version of the story is that the woman was pushed out of the room by London and ranks, seeing the door opening, fired hitting the woman. According to this version, 'Blackie' returned fire, hitting Forde in the back. Grieving relatives said they could not imagine what the woman was doing at the Toucan Guest House at the time of her death. Meanwhile, it was made clear that Forde was not related to London in any way. Among those Forde left to mourn are two daughters, Rochelle, 12, and seven-year-old Keisha.
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