Buxton gas station
owner killed THE well-known proprietor of a fuel station on the East Coast Demerara was yesterday morning brutally shot in broad daylight, and subsequently died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
Bryan Hamilton, 35, proprietor of the Esso fuel station at Buxton, was shot at around 08:00 hrs in his office at the station, witnesses said. Bryan Hamilton
Unsolved
murder An
employee, who was on duty at the time of the shooting, told the
Chronicle that a man went into the station and enquired about Hamilton's
whereabouts and another worker directed him to the office. Shortly after, the employee said he heard a shot and immediately ran across the road. While running, about two more shots were fired.
He
explained that because of fear and panic, he was not certain how many
shots in all were fired. Police
said the bullets were fired through a glass wall, which housed
Hamilton's office. The
gunman immediately left the premises, but because of the panic that
enveloped the employees, they could not say if he had accomplices. Police
said that two men, at about 07:25 hrs, entered the general business area
and in the intervening period, either both or one of them, shot
Hamilton. His
firearm and a gold chain he was wearing were missing, Police said,
adding that they suspect that the gunmen may have stolen the gun and the
gold chain. The
two men escaped through an alleyway south into Buxton, Police said. An
Army patrol vehicle rushed Hamilton, who was bleeding profusely from the
chest, to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Shortly after his
arrival, he was pronounced dead. The
employee who spoke to the Chronicle said he was very suspicious of the
man who was enquiring about the whereabouts of Hamilton, and as such, he
was trying to "wink" at (alert) his colleague with whom the
man was speaking. Unfortunately, the co-worker did not notice the
signal. On hearing of Hamilton's passing, employees could not restrain their tears, while villagers began flocking the station, which was at the time under tight Police security. GRIEF: employees
of the gas station after hearing that the owner had died. The
employees told the Chronicle that Hamilton was a well-liked and
respected person at both his workplace and in the community, and was
always pleasant and affable. However,
they said that the shooting incident has terrified them so much, that
they are now contemplating quitting their jobs there and finding
alternative means of employment. Hamilton
was a Lions Club member, and one of his colleague-members recalled that
she knew him since she was a little girl. She
remembered how the Hamilton family started out in business from humble
beginnings with a snackette at their Buxton residence. The friend also fondly remembered Hamilton as an extremely nice and jovial person, always willing to assist the less fortunate. Saturday, March 22, 2003
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