Tension between villages
Shots fired at Annandale home
-following rumours of weapons inside
Stabroek News
October 30, 2002
Gunmen opened fire on a motor car yesterday morning, and a home at Annandale was riddled with bullets as rumours circulated that the occupants had weapons in their possession.
By late yesterday, 49-year-old Paula McAdam, a director attached to the Guyana Civil Aviation, had to flee from her home at Lot 56 Eastville Housing Scheme, Annandale, under the cover of the army.
McAdam's home is on the border between Annandale and Buxton.
The woman, from a safe place last night, said prior to the incident, she had asked one of her sons and a nephew to visit her and assist with some house repairs.
But at about 11:30 am McAdam said she heard gunshots and, shortly after, saw her nephew and son hurriedly pulling into her driveway with several bullet holes in their car.
The young men told her that while on their way to Annandale, a burgundy Toyota Ceres started trailing them from around the Success area.
The occupants reportedly opened fire on the young men's car, PHH 6624, piercing the windscreen, the front bonnet and driver's side door. There was no further word on the whereabouts of the burgundy vehicle.
McAdam said: "I heard gunshots and I did not realise that they were being attacked. They drove up and I saw bullet holes [on the car]. I let them in [and] shortly after, at about 12:15 pm, an army patrol surrounded the house, about six of them took up various positions. About half an hour later, two more groups arrived.
The soldiers came up and they called.
They said let everybody come out. We came out...they [army and police who had also arrived] searched the whole house [and] found nothing," Mrs. McAdam stated.
But her son and nephew were escorted to the Vigilance Police Station. The men were subsequently released.
The woman said that while the men were away, someone lobbed what sounded like a grenade into her yard. She heard the loud explosion before shots were fired at the house.
"About one hour later, people from Buxton came out and were making comments [such as] the criminals in there and that they have guns. I was home alone...They threw a grenade in the yard and fired shots at the house. I called back the army and they came back in. The people were saying that shots were fired from the house."
Mrs. McAdam maintained that no shots were fired from her home.
At about the same time, Stabroek News was returning to the city and residents at Buxton stopped the vehicle, urging everyone to turn off the embankment and take the main highway, instead.
They said residents of Annandale were firing at them.
On the highway, this newspaper observed two van loads of police ranks speeding towards the troubled villages.
The ranks passed the villages and stopped for a short while at the Vigilance Police Station before heading for McAdam's home.
When Stabroek News was returning to the scene, residents of Annandale were urging vehicles to turn back saying the Buxtonians were making trouble.
A large group of residents, mainly from Buxton, were seen urging the ranks to search McAdam's home, claiming that guns were in the basement. As the armed ranks sped into the housing scheme, the large crowd ran after them.
The patrols surrounded the house and curious onlookers took up positions on the high frames of other unfinished houses in the area. After a while, the ranks withdrew and the crowd dispersed.
But McAdam was not comfortable: "The police and army came back, searched the house and they found nothing. But in the mean time, I was packing, because I knew the crowd was making threats."