Murder at Mousie Landing…
-Believed wounded, needing medical attention
POLICE at Mahdia, and miners there and in Konawaruk as well, are on the lookout  for an escaped bandit reportedly injured during a shooting incident in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) last Sunday night that left two dead  and another warded.
The alleged bandit, who goes by the alias `Blacka’ and hails from Wismar, reportedly fled the scene after his accomplice, Oswald `Ossie’ Bourne was killed.
He and Bourne are said to have attacked dredge owner, Devin Baird, formerly of Mainstay, on the Essequibo Coast, and Clifford Andrews, a miner from Chenapau, as they were walking along a roadway in the vicinity of Mousie  Landing, in Konawaruk.
Both Baird and Bourne died during the attack, while Andrews had to be air-dashed to the city, where he remains warded in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GHPC).
Reports are that word in Konawaruk is that `Blacka’ is seriously wounded and may be in need of urgent medical attention.
A police and civilian search party reportedly scoured sections of Konawaruk on Friday in the hope of finding the wounded man, but came up empty-handed.
Following the shoot-out Sunday night, Regional Chairman, Mr. Senor Bell has joined a call for increased security in Mahdia and its environs.
He is of the view that the presence of a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) base in the area would help alleviate what appears to be a situation in the Potaro sub-region that is getting out of control.
Bandits operating in the area, which is rich in gold and other minerals, are “armed to the teeth”, a source told the Chronicle.
Asked for a comment on the matter, Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Clement Rohee told the Chronicle late yesterday that the Administration has placed on the front burner a security plan which has been in effect since the events of 2008.
He however cautioned that having plans in train for the security sector doesn’t mean that that will be the end of criminal activity here.