THE police are yet to identify the suspected shooter of Debra Blackman, who was gunned down in the cashier’s cage of the Delicious Chinese Restaurant on Durban Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown on August 23, 2014, even though the entire incident was captured by a security camera mounted on the premises, and the man’s image was released to the media via footage.

Sleuths yesterday told the Guyana Chronicle that the image had been released several times, but it has not prompted much response from members of the public with regard to the identity of the gunman who shot and killed the waitress in the cashier’s cage.

The police say they have had few leads, although several persons had been arrested, detained and questioned. The missing link is that there has been no solid evidence to link arrested persons to the crime, thus it remains unsolved to date.

Detectives disclosed that no one is volunteering any information which may aid in the murder probe, and it is as though no one seems to care these days, as some people are apparently not bothered by anything, including murder; and this is a worrisome development.

A one-minute video showed a man dressed in a greyish jersey and cap having positioned himself at the cashier’s cage, apparently making a purchase, since he had submitted a note. And while he was there, two other male customers entered the restaurant.
Ms Blackman’s relatives yesterday said they also have not heard anything new from either the police or from citizens, but they are hoping the case will not remain cold for long.

In a press release on September 6, 2014, the GPF said it is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the person whose image is displayed below. The young man is shown at the cashier’s counter in a brief conversation with Blackman just before he pulled out a gun, pushed his hand through the grillwork at the cashier’s cage, and fatally shot her.

RECAP
On August 23, 2014, 54-year-old Debra Blackman was in the cashier’s cage at her place of work, Delicious Chinese Restaurant on Durban Street, Wortmanville Georgetown, when two men arrived on a Jialing motorcycle and one of them entered the restaurant. Shortly after, a loud explosion was heard, and the man who had entered the restaurant was seen hastily mounting the motorcycle, which sped off with him as the pillion rider.

The Delicious Chinese Restaurant had been subjected to several armed robberies during the 14 years of Debra Blackman’s service to the eating house. No motive for her killing has as yet been established; but interestingly, no cash had been taken on the day she had been shot.

The Guyana Police Force is asking anyone with information that may lead to identification and possible location of the suspected killer to kindly contact the police on telephone numbers 225-2227, 225-6411, 225-8196, 226-7065, 227-1149, 911, or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with strict confidence, the police statement has said.
(Michel Outridge)