THE
East
Coast
gas
station
owner,
who
was
executed
outside
his
home
Wednesday
night
by
gunmen
in
an
unmarked
and
unlit
car,
had
received
several
threats
before,
a
relative
said
yesterday.
Ramesh
Radcliffe,
45,
proprietor
of
the
Texaco
Service
Station
at
Strathspey,
East
Coast
Demerara,
and
of
Lot
126
Latchmie
Street,
South
Better
Hope,
also
on
the
East
Coast,
was
shot
several
times
about
the
body
and
head
by
two
gunmen
in
the
white
car,
a
close
family
friend
said.
A
relative
said
his
life
had
been
threatened
and
his
gas
station
was
shot
up
twice
between
last
year
and
early
this
year
by
unknown
gunmen.
Investigators
are
looking
into
reports
that
his
murder
was
triggered
by
a
dispute
with
rivals,
a
source
said
last
night.
Unsolved
murder
The
relative
said
he
had
always
talked
of
being
a
target
and
often
received
threatening
telephone
calls
from
unknown
men.
The
family
friend
said
that
at
about
21:40
hrs
on
Wednesday,
Radcliffe
was
about
to
open
the
left
side
gate
to
drive
his
car
into
the
yard
and
was
standing
when
a
motorcar
drove
up
and
the
gunmen
opened
fire
on
the
hapless
businessman.
She
said
he
had
just
seconds
before
put
the
padlock
and
his
licenced
firearm
on
a
bench
by
the
gate.
The
distraught
friend
recalled
that
it
was
routine
for
Radcliffe
to
drop
off
an
employee
who
resides
at
Ogle,
also
on
the
East
Coast
Demerara,
before
going
home
and
Wednesday
night
was
no
exception.
CLOSED:
the
gas
station
at
Strathspey,
East
Coast
Demerara,
yesterday.
Just
minutes
before
Radcliffe
had
stopped
briefly
to
chat
with
a
friend
and
his
wife
sitting
outside
their
yard
nearby,
she
said.
They
had
noted
that
a
car
with
no
lights
on
and
no
licence
plate
was
trailing
the
gas
station
owner,
but
before
they
could
alert
him
by
telephone
they
heard
rapid
gunshots.
His
74-year-old
mother,
alone
in
the
house
at
the
time,
witnessed
her
son's
execution.
The
friend
said
she
was
as
normal
waiting
on
her
son
to
return
home
from
working
at
the
gas
station
when
she
peeked
out
a
front
window
and
saw
him
fall,
mortally
wounded.
The
elderly
woman
has
since
taken
ill
and
was
yesterday
unable
to
venture
out
of
bed.
A
neighbour
recalled
hearing
rapid
gunshots
and
after
it
was
quiet
again,
ventured
out
and
saw
Radcliffe
lying
in
a
pool
of
blood
in
his
yard
by
the
gate,
his
car
still
parked
on
his
bridge.
Another
resident
said
that
after
the
gunmen
shot
Radcliffe,
they
sped
away
because
villagers
who
are
licenced
firearm
holders
discharged
a
few
rounds
in
the
air
to
ward
them
off.
Radcliffe's
wife
recently
left
Guyana
for
the
United
States
with
their
son
to
enroll
him
in
a
university
there,
the
family
friend
said.
Police
said
11
9mm
spent
shells
and
five
warheads
were
recovered
at
the
scene.
A
lone
gunman
on
a
motorcycle
opened
fire
on
the
gas
station
at
about
01:45
hrs
on
November
29
last
year.
The
two
employees
who
were
on
duty
then
said
the
gunman
had
stopped
in
front
of
the
gas
station
and
fired
about
three
times
before
riding
off.
The
bullets
hit
the
walls
and
gas
pumps.
Two
gunmen
opened
fire
on
four
fuel
pumps
on
January
5
this
year
and
the
gas
station
was
temporarily
closed
after
this
shooting.
The
gunmen,
who
arrived
on
foot,
went
into
the
petrol
station
and
discharged
about
12
rounds
which
damaged
all
four
of
the
fuel
pumps.
In
both
instances
the
gunmen
were
not
interested
in
cash
because
employees
were
not
robbed.
Radcliffe
four
years
ago
took
over
the
Texaco
Service
Station
at
Strathspey
and
was
about
to
embark
on
another
business
deal,
relatives
said
yesterday.
He
was
the
new
franchise
holder
for
the
Texaco
Service
Station
at
Success,
also
on
the
East
Coast,
which
was
scheduled
to
be
officially
re-opened
on
Sunday.
Crime
Chief
Henry
Greene
visited
the
scene
early
yesterday
morning
and
spoke
with
relatives.
