Senior citizen held after allegedly threatening Palms nurse with gun

A 79-year-old man is in police custody after he allegedly threatened a male nurse attached to the Palms Geriatric Home with a gun.

Sunday Stabroek was reliably informed that the suspect was not a patient of the home where the incident occurred, but was merely visiting the facility.

Police, in a statement, said the man, who is said to be a licensed firearm holder and a former prison officer, allegedly threatened an unidentified male nurse at the institution on the evening of November 15th, following a misunderstanding. Investigations revealed that the victim and the suspect had a misunderstanding in a ward, which prompted the victim to proceed to another ward of the facility.

It was while the nurse was walking up a staircase that the elderly man, who was by this time at the top of the stairway, confronted him and pointed the gun.

The nurse was able to disarm him and the police were subsequently summoned. Upon their arrival, the gun was seized and the elderly man arrested and taken into custody. Attempts were made to contact the Palms Geriatric Home and Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally to ascertain how the man was able to have a firearm while at the facility. However, numerous phone calls to the office of the administrator of the geriatric home went unanswered, while the Minister indicated that she could not speak on the matter at the time of the call.