One of three bandits who held up and robbed a police sergeant and his family at their San Fernando home on Saturday night may spend the rest of his life paralysed after he was shot by the officer.
The suspect, from Rambert Village, La Romaine, remains at the San Fernando General Hospital under police guard.
Investigators reported that his injuries were serious as there was organ damage.
He is well known to Southern Division police.
Police said that around 10.30 pm, four men opened the front door of the sergeant’s home in Union Hall.
Armed with a knife and gun, the bandits ordered the 56-year-old sergeant, his 53-year-old wife and children ages 24 and 23 to lie on the living room floor.
They then rummaged the house, stealing the sergeant’s Huawei mobile phone valued at $1200, gold chain valued $700 and four watches worth $800. They took his wife’s Samsung S7 valued $3000, three gold chain estimated at $3000 and an HP laptop worth $4000. They also took his son’s Huawei mobile phone valued $2500.
One of the bandits ordered the sergeant to his bedroom and demanded that he open a safe.
Angered when the sergeant said he was unable to open the safe because of mechanical issues, the bandit began approaching the family who was lying on the living room floor.
Fearful for their safety, the sergeant retrieved his firearm from the bedroom and shot the suspect.
The other bandits ran out of the house and escaped.
Snr Supt Yusuf Gaffar, Insp Mohammed, Sgt Phillip and Sgt Ramlogan led San Fernando CID and Southern Division Task Force to the scene. Task Force officers took the injured bandit to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
The sergeant, who retired last year and returned as a Special Reserved Police officer, and his family, were not harmed.
A search for the other suspects continued up to late yesterday.