FOUR persons are in police custody, including the girlfriend of Deonarine, 73, called “Russian” who died from a gunshot wound on Friday, police in ‘G’ Division said.
Deonarine was shot to the left side of his abdomen around 20:00hrs at Maria’s Delight, Lower Pomeroon River. The elderly man at the time was living alone in a one-storey wooden house and would usually receive weekend visits from his girlfriend.
‘G’ Division Commander Khalid Pareshram said investigators will continue to follow all possible leads to solve the murder. The body of the re-migrant is presently at the Suddie Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

His community on Saturday was plunged into deep mourning after news spread that the 73-year-old farmer was shot in the left side of his abdomen by an unidentified, masked gunman.

Up to press time, the girlfriend of the deceased was in police custody. She told police that around 18:00 hrs, she and the elderly man secured the premises and began to fry fish.

“Around18:30 hrs while [we] were  sitting at the table in the kitchen eating fish and Deonarine drinking  Ivanoff Vodka, we heard a knock on the northern [back] door,” the woman said.

When the door was opened, she was in the face of a male armed with a long gun.

The woman related that she held onto the suspect’s gun but the man took out a knife from his pants pocket. She claimed she also held onto the knife and during this time Deonarine ran down the step.

The suspect then reportedly pushed her down, pursued Deonarine and shot him in the abdomen and escaped, but not before the girlfriend raised an alarm.

Deonarine was taken to the Charity Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor there.

Police are continuing their investigations.