By Rabindra Rooplall
RELATIVES of the 16-year-old waitress who was shot in her face late Friday evening by a lone gunman, who posed as a customer and attempted to rob the Chinese restaurant, are calling on the police to act swiftly since they are fearful justice may not be forthcoming.Onika Luke of Lot 1 Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara, who would hang up her uniform after school and head for a night job as a waitress to make ends meet, was shot after she resisted a gunman’s attempt to rob the Lucky Star Chinese Restaurant in her home village.
Now a patient in the Intensive Care Unit at a private city hospital, Onika gave the police a description of her assailant by writing on a piece of paper as investigations continue.
According to the mother of the teen, Jocelyn Luke, after receiving the distressing news from her son she flew into Guyana Saturday night from Trinidad to visit her daughter in the hospital.
She explained that Onika is the last of her six children and she is seeking justice in light of the circumstances her daughter faces.
The woman said it would be safer for her daughter if a police could be stationed at the hospital, since the perpetrator would want to further harm her since he knows that she is capable of identifying him.

Luke’s brother, Rickford Ranjee, said police have not been in contact with the family to update relatives on the investigation or to inform them whether they had lifted fingerprints from the crime scene.
Although expressing thanks to his sister’s employer who is standing the medical bill at the private hospital, Ranjee said, “She still is in a critical condition and is alive; we don’t want anything worse to happen to her, so all we want is for the authorities to assist the best way possible. Every time I go to the hospital to see the doctor is an excuse I’m getting. I would like them to start the operation to extract the bullet as early as possible so my sister can begin the healing process. I don’t want them to keep her there and the bill keeps going up.”
The bandit who shot the teen reportedly entered the restaurant about 22:40hrs Friday and ordered a meal, but while paying for the meal, the man allegedly held on to Luke’s hands as she was behind the barred-off counter. He then pulled out a firearm and demanded cash and when the teen resisted the assailant shot her to the chin and made good his escape.
While trying to box away the handgun her left thumb was shot off and the bullet is now lodged in her throat. She reportedly identified her shooter as a tall man of African descent who has a tattoo on his neck. She told the cops that the shooter had threatened to kidnap her a few days ago while she was walking on the road.