Police shot two men
-Reece wanted for beer garden murders, cop shooting
By Oscar P Clarke
Stabroek News
February 9, 2003
Two of the three gunmen who shot and wounded two Norton street residents on Friday night were themselves shot and killed by a party of police early yesterday morning.
The police in a press release yesterday identified the men as Junior Reece called ‘Knuckle’ and Gary Lowe (no addresses given).
According to the release, the men were spotted by a mobile patrol walking in a northerly direction along the western pavement of Avenue of the Republic in the vicinity of the New Building Society (NBS).
On turning around and noticing the police, the release said, Reece, sporting a dreadlocked hairstyle, whipped out a 9mm pistol from his waist and discharged several rounds at the patrol.
The police party, the release continued, returned fire and both men were hit and collapsed on the pavement.
They were picked up and immediately rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.
Up to yesterday their bodies were lying in the hospital’s mortuary awaiting identification by relatives.
Both bodies bore gunshot wounds to the head.
According to the police, Reece was a prime suspect in the shooting of police detective Gregory Brushe on January 20 at the corner of Smyth and Croal Streets.
Brushe was shot in his head, cheek and neck by a lone gunman sporting dreadlocks as he walked along the route on his way to work early that morning. The constable remains in a critical condition in the intensive care unit of the GPHC.
Reece, according to the police release, was also identified as a suspect in the January 22, Ketley Street, Charlestown murder and robbery which resulted in the deaths of three persons. During that attack, Proprietor of Steven’s Beer Garden, Leonard Parjohn called `Roy’ along with bystander, Carlton Norton of Charlestown were killed immediately.
Another Charlestown resident, 28-year-old Sharon Reece, of 37 Ketley Street died later.
Reece was also said to be involved in the February 2 Broad Street murder and robbery where the proprietor of a beer garden, Albert Peters, was shot to death and a young labourer, Shawn Maniram, was stabbed to death in a toilet.
He was also listed as having been wanted in connection with at least two robbery under arms cases.
Police recovered seven 9mm spent shells from the scene along with two live 9mm rounds found in the magazine of the 9mm pistol which was in Reece’s possession. The weapon’s serial number was reported as having been filed off.
Meanwhile, 30-year-old Kirk Brown, who had been shot in his back as he tried to evade gunshots from the three men who invaded his Norton street home on Friday night, has been discharged from the hospital.
Brown told Stabroek News that he was chatting with his reputed wife in the bedroom of their Lot 45 Norton street, Lodge apartment when a friend who was in their sitting room told him someone was looking for him.
Before he left, his wife Rochelle Gordon, went to the door to check on the person and she too informed him of the presence of a man.
However, on leaving the bedroom and reaching the front door which had been left wide open, he came face to face with three men who almost instantly drew guns and began firing.
Brown drew back and made a dash to evade the shots. He was however hit in the back and fell in the sitting room near to a passageway leading to the rear of the ground floor apartment.
One of the gunmen immediately began dragging the injured Brown to the bedroom while another confronted the friend who remained seated near the television.
A gun was placed to her head and she was told “don’t mek not a sound.” She pleaded to be allowed to leave but was denied this liberty by the cold barrel pressed to her temple.
She remained stock still during the entire ordeal and was yesterday reflecting on how near to possible death she had come. One of the shots passed inches in front of her hitting the wall where it made an indentation.
Gordon who had concealed herself in the bathroom raised an alarm after managing to escape from the home through a rear door and scaling the back fence.
It was not until she had figured that she was at a safe distance that she began shouting out, “Thief! Thief!” alerting neighbours. One of the gunmen fired behind her as she fled through her neighbour’s yard on her way to D’Urban street.
By this time the men who had been demanding money and gold decided to leave the home now surrounded by residents. As they left the yard they fired a further volley of shots before departing in a waiting vehicle.
It was during this time that the other Norton street resident is believed to have received the gunshot wound to his hip. He was up to yesterday still being treated in the hospital.
Another neighbour whose apartment is adjacent to that of Brown’s, had told Stabroek News on Friday evening that she was in her sitting room waiting to watch the evening news when she heard the shots.
She immediately grabbed her daughter and hit the ground and remained there until she heard voices outside at which time she ventured outside.
