THIRTY-four-year-old Jermaine Giles of Lot 4 Barnwell, North Mocha, East Bank Demerara was shot to the face early yesterday morning, and later died following a home invasion by bandits.The Guyana Chronicle was informed that the man and his reputed wife were in their bed in the one-bedroom shack when they heard a strange noise at the back door as if someone was trying to gain entry to the house.

Giles then jumped up from his bed and opened a window to investigate, and was immediately shot to the face by a gunman who then forced his way into the house from the very window.
Once inside, the man then opened the door to allow his accomplice entry to the house. The home invaders then demanded money and gold from Giles and his reputed wife, Gillian Ollivierre.
Ollivierre works in the interior as a cook, and only recently returned from the mining area, but was at home most of the time. Giles, on the other hand, is in the business of block making, and the two also operate a small shop just next door to the block-making facility. However, that shop has not being in operation for some time now.
The dead man’s sister, Doreen Emptage, told this publication that she was at home when she received a call from another sibling asking her if she heard what had happened. The woman said she responded in the negative, and was then told that her brother was shot.
Emptage was not familiar with the extent of the man’s injuries until she reached the Diamond Hospital where Giles was taken before being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. She related that during the period leading up to his death, which occurred at approximately 03.00 hrs on Sunday morning, her brother was unconscious.
Meanwhile, one of Ollivierre’s daughters said when her mother travels out of the interior she does not come with cash or gold, since her employers would usually pay her by cheque. The young lady said that the family was not really aware that her mother had travelled out from the interior and was in Mocha until Saturday when she spoke with her, and the woman promised to visit their Plaisance home sometime yesterday. When she received the call about the incident from her mother early yesterday, she said she was shocked.
A neighbour who lives one house away from where the incident took place said that he was not aware that Jermaine and his reputed wife’s home was being invaded, or that anyone was shot until the woman came banging on her door, in tears, asking her to “come and see what they did to Jermaine.”
The woman said when she went over to the house, she noticed the man sitting on the floor, bleeding from some part of the face while his head was leaning back on the bed.
The neighbour told the Guyana Chronicle that the area does not receive electricity from the Guyana Power and Light, and so it was hard for them to really see what was going on, since families in that part of Mocha use lamps.
Gillian reportedly told investigators that she could not recognize the men who invaded the house; one was masked, while the other was unmasked. She, however, was able to give the police descriptions of the men, based on their build.
Many in the community feel the attack was carried out by persons in the area, since at least one of the men was wearing a mask. In addition, the incident took place in a virtual backdam area that required one to wade through slush and thick grass.
The police are continuing their investigations into the matter. Giles reportedly had no children.

(By Leroy Smith)