“We heard shots”

“We heard shots being fired but did not know what was going on,” a woman who lives across the street from the house where a homicide and suicide took place last week. Reports indicate that 49-yearold Kenneth Baboelal gunned down his 50-year-old wife, Sandhya Baboelal-Mahaboer, before taking his own life at a house located along the Indira Gandhiweg. A female neighbor told Times of Suriname that she was home with her husband when she heard shots being fired. She went to the balcony and saw people running to the yard where the drama had unfolded. She initially thought that her neighbors had been robbed which is why she did not go outside immediately. After a while she saw a big crowd so she decided to go to the neighbor’s house. When she got there, she was told that her neighbor had been killed. The couple had not lived under the same roof for several months. The victim lived along the Indira Gandhiweg while her husband lived along the Monplaisirweg. The couple’s son was at his father’s house when the shootings took place. A neighbor who had not told him what had happened brought him to his mother’s house. When the son arrived at his mother’s house, he saw many people standing outside so he jumped over the fence to investigate but the police did not allow him to enter. It is suspected that the perpetrator had followed the woman to her address before making his move. After the perpetrator had parked his car behind the woman’s car in her driveway, she tried to run away but the man who was armed with a hunting rifle went after her. The man reportedly shot the woman in front of the garage. The Public Relations Department of the Police Force Suriname (KPS) pointed out that the woman moved to her father’s house in February. Her husband did not approve and wanted her to come back. The man had reportedly begged the woman several times to return to the marital home but the woman had already made up her mind. On September 21, the man once again visited Sandhya. The woman’s brother heard people arguing outside so he went to investigate. When he came outside he saw that his sister and his brother-in-law were arguing. The woman’s brother invited his brother-in-law to come inside so they could talk things out. His sister then ran away while screaming that Kenneth had a hunting rifle. Kenneth then went to his car and took the hunting rifle. The woman’s brother tried to disarm the man. Kenneth then hit and bit the woman’s brother while threatening to kill him too. The woman’s brother ran away because he feared for his life. While he was running away he heard three shots being fired. He walked back and saw his sister and brotherin-law lying motionless in the sand. The murder weapon was confiscated by the police.