AN incident in Lamaha Park, East La Penitence in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, saw armed intruders opening fire on youths of the community who intervened as criminal elements continue their almost nightly rampage in that Georgetown community.

A handful of young men leaving a home for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at around 02:30hrs observed a strange group — some armed — attempting to illegally enter a resident’s home. The young men immediately beamed their car lights on the intruders, causing them to scamper for the darkness; but the rogue group of about five persons — among whom were about three juveniles — did not take kindly to being disturbed in their enterprise.

As the car was driving out of the scheme moments later, its occupants were ambushed by the rogue intruders, who opened gunfire on the car, forcing its terrified occupants to divert into another street.

But residents who heard the gunfire peered out into the dark and recognised that their young neighbours had come under attack. They raised an alarm and the bandits fled.

This episode evoked memories of an incident in which a young iconic resident of the neighbourhood was killed away from home and under tragic circumstances in the line of duty, just about three years ago. To date, family members and the wider community have not fully recovered from that incident; and this most recent episode of violence has left Lamaha Park residents traumatised as they continue to live in fear for their lives.

Over the last several weeks, there has been a series of robbery attacks on residents’ homes at Lamaha Park; and on every occasion, the bandits have managed to escape detection and apprehension. During these raids, hundreds of thousands of dollars in booty have been taken away, and nothing has so far been recovered.

Stolen items include cash and jewellery, lap top and desk-top computers and other household appliances, weeding machines and clothing. Places burglarised include the home of the Pastor of God’s Cathedral of Praise, the lone church in Lamaha Park; and the home of Pastor Marcus, whose church is in Durban Street.