Rosignol businessman died from gunshot injury to head - autopsy

An autopsy has confirmed that Rosignol businessman, Tony Bishnauth, died as a result of the single gunshot injury he sustained to his head during a suspected robbery on his business last Friday evening.

Bishnauth, also known as ‘Uncle Tony’ and ‘England Man’, 78, of Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice, who operated ‘Sandra’s Snackette’ at the Rosignol Stelling Road, was shot once in the region of his right ear sometime after 11 pm on Friday. He was rushed to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, sources have told Stabroek News, that the country’s Major Crimes Unit has since taken over the investigation. The source noted, that the suspect who was first detained by regional investigators was transported to the CID headquarters for further questioning, while several other persons have also been detained.

He could not give an exact figure of how many persons were still in custody as of yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Bishnauth’s adopted son, Mahendra Nagamootoo, also known as ‘Karan’, 26, a carpenter, of Rosignol Village, West Bank Berbice, who also sustained three gunshot injuries is still hospitalized in a stable condition.

Nagamootoo’s uncle, Nathram Briglall, also known as ‘Bobby’, 46, an electrician, of Lot 23 Stelling Road Rosignol Village, West Bank Berbice, who was grazed by a bullet on his lower abdomen and was released from the Fort Wellington Public Hospital on Friday evening after receiving treatment, is at home recovering.

Bishnauth was celebrating his 78th birthday which led to his relatives and an overseas-based friend gathering to join him in the celebrations at his snackette located at the Rosignol Stelling Road.

Nagamootoo, who resides opposite the snackette, had stated, that they were inside of the snackette, when three masked men pounced on them. “Them push down my wife and me two children and me adopted sister”.

He said after the men invaded they immediately shot Bishnauth. According to Nagamootoo, after the bandits shot the businessman, “them go fa shoot me sister and me run go and lash one of them with a bottle and scramble she and them end up and start fire shot at me. Them fire about nine shot but three catch me”.

Nagamootoo, who was shot in his hand, belly and back, had said, that it was when they fired at him that his uncle Briglall was injured.