Three years on…
FEBRUARY 17, 2008, will forever be etched in the memory of Barticians, and it is not for the pulsating victory by Guyana over Trinidad in the finals of the inaugural Stanford 20/20 One Day Cricket Tournament which made the Guyanese players immediate millionaires. But on that fateful Sunday night, as residents of the community,  like other Guyanese countrywide, had their attention transfixed to their television sets and radios enjoying the cricket tournament, or were either at work or otherwise enjoying the community’s nightlife or the comfort of the confines of their homes, several heavily-armed gunmen had other motives.

The gunmen reportedly had travelled to Bartica earlier that day without arousing suspicion, and at about 21:45 hrs that fateful night, dressed in foreign camouflage and khaki-type clothing and toting the dreaded AK-47 rifles and other weapons, they first stormed and neutralized the Bartica Police Station, killing three policemen, including one who was spotted hiding behind a cupboard. Three other law enforcement officers were injured in the process.  

Continuing their cold-blooded rampage, the gunmen concentrated their attack along First Avenue, targeting anyone in their path as they moved to what seemed to be selected targets.

And when it was all over with their final barbaric act at the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) wharf, just a stone’s throw from where it began at the Police Station, 12 people lay dead and four others wounded.

The shocking and heinous killing was reminiscent of an almost similar and still unanswered attack a few weeks earlier by armed men on the community of Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara.

Those who lost their lives in Bartica when the marauding gunmen stormed the police station were Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakhir of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo; Constables Shane Fredricks, 35, of 241 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara; and Ron Osborne of 198 Robb Street, Georgetown.

After killing the three policemen and wounding others, the gunmen broke into a ‘steel strong box’ which housed weapons and ammunition and carted away five rifles, four revolvers and a shotgun, along with a quantity of ammunition. From another ‘strong box’ which they also broke into, they stole $64,450.

Armed with the keys for one of the police jeeps, the now mobile and marauding gunmen moved along First Avenue where they killed security guards Edwin Gilkes who was on duty at the Banks DIH outlet; Irving Ferreira, who was guarding the CB&R Mining Enterprise and Dexter Adrian, 37, taxi driver of 581 Conciliation Street, Tucville and One Mile Potaro who was on his way to buy gasoline.

And as they hastily made their escape using the T&HD, they attacked and killed the crew on ‘Dave 11’, a vessel belonging to the conglomerate Banks DIH Limited and another vessel ‘Little Giant’. Both vessels were moored alongside the T&HD wharf.

The men, Ashraf Ally Khan, of Essequibo Coast; Errol Thomas, 41, of 810 Tuschen Housing Scheme; Deonarine Singh of Wakenaam, Essequibo River; Ronald Gomes of Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden Highway; Baldeo Singh, of 153 Second Street, Montrose, East Coast Demerara; and Abdool Yasseen, 23, of 153 Good Hope, ECD, who were at the time resting in their hammocks, were hauled outside and ordered to lie on the wharf and each shot execution-style in the head.

Those injured by the gunmen were Constables 20219 Mark Campbell who was shot in the upper left side, 20231 Constable Chester Benjamin who received gunshot wounds in both of his hands and right hip; Melrose Allicock of Bartica Housing Scheme who was shot while chatting with Gilkes; Lisa Narine, then 15, who was assisting her mother to sell and was shot in her left foot, and Raymond White who was a passenger in Dexter Adrian’s vehicle.

The chilling details of how the 12 men, some of whom were the sole bread-winners for their families, met such a barbaric end at the hands of the gunmen makes it even more  difficult to fathom the reasons behind such inhumane actions.
Today, residents of the community will, together with relatives, friends, colleagues of the 12 victims of the Bartica Massacre and others, gather at the site of the recently erected ‘Monument of Hope’ to pay homage to the victims of that February 17th, 2008 massacre.

MONUMENT OF HOPE

The ‘Monument of Hope’, a 13-foot black marble memorial sculpture, is ideally erected on a plot donated by the Anglican Diocese of Guyana, a few feet from the Essequibo River, and is being viewed as ‘a place of reflection, introspection, quietude and serenity, and signifies that Bartica will always be strong, resilient and prosperous.’ 

It is a  sanctuary of ‘hope and healing’ and  ‘a living will and testament’ to the lives of the 12 men who were brutally and senselessly gunned down, some while in the line of duty, others while asleep or otherwise in the comfort of their homes.

Weighing 21,000 pounds with four bronze plaques, each weighing 65 pounds, the monument, in black, bronze and gold, is a gift to the community from J. Patrick Sheridan and Guyana Goldfields Incorporated (GGI), with support from the government and people of Canada, among others. It was designed in Canada and manufactured in India.

The observance, in the form of an inter-faith and memorial service begins at 10:00 hrs and has been organized by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in collaboration with inter-faith organizations.

Among those expected to address the gathering are Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Kellawan Lall, and Regional Chairman Holbert Knights .

Another plaque which was unveiled by the Police in honour of their slain colleagues, is located in the compound of the Bartica Police Station.