Witness survives gun attack

Quick work by Chaguanas CID officers might have saved the life of a Rio Claro woman who was shot and dumped in a bamboo patch yesterday morning. Hairdresser Patricia Gopeesingh, 45, of San Pedro, remained sedated in serious condition at the San Fernando General Hospital, awaiting emergency surgery to remove ten pellets from her chest.

Investigators said the attempted murder was a hit against Gopeesingh’s life that was ordered from prison. Gopeesingh is a state witness in an upcoming trial and is expected to testify against a fellow villager. Around 8.30 am, Gopeesingh was walking along the Chaguanas Main Road, Montrose, when three men abducted her in an unmarked vehicle. She was taken to a lonely area in Chickland, Freeport, where the men shot her once in the chest with a shotgun and left her for dead in a bamboo patch.

Despite bleeding heavily, Gopeesingh managed to crawl to the roadside, where people from a nearby village found her and contacted the police. Supt Johnny Abraham and Insp Terrence Williams responded and took the injured woman to the Couva District Health Facility. Police are questioning one suspect and continue to search for the other abductors. Sgt Andy Mohammed is continuing investigations.