Residents of the Castello Housing Scheme were in a state of shock yesterday morning after a bandit shot a 47-year-old man dead near his home.

Raymond Singh of Lot 36 Castello Housing Scheme sustained a single gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. He was shot by a man who fled the area on foot.

When Stabroek News visited the man's home yesterday morning his wife, Glycis Peters-Singh, was surrounded by relatives and friends as she grieved.

The woman said that her husband was killed just after 4 am. Peters-Singh said her 21-year-old son, Damian, told her that he was still up when he heard a noise at the gate. Upon investigating, he saw a strange man attempting to enter the yard.

He called out to the intruder and the man fled. Shortly after, the woman said, her son woke her up and while relating what had transpired they heard a noise.

The woman said that they saw residents chasing the man and shouting, "thief".

Peters-Singh said her husband, who works as a contract driver with Omai Gold Mines Ltd, arrived home shortly after and parked his car. The woman said she related to her husband what had transpired and he left home, heading in the direction where the other residents had gone. "I begged him not to go, but he still went and I was just coming inside when I heard a shot."

She said it was later related to her that the bandit hid in some bushes and the pursuing residents ran past him. As her husband approached, the man emerged and headed towards him. "When he reach my husband he tell he `y'all wan ketch me' and pull out a gun and shoot he. When I heard the shot I never thought it was my husband but I come outside back and I see the man running pass my house. I went and I see the person lying on the ground... I recognise the blue jersey my husband was wearing and I then I saw some blood and I just turn back," the distraught woman said.

The woman said her husband was taken to the hospital in a friend's car where he was pronounced dead.

And a short distance away from Singh's home, Linda Persaud and her family were counting their lucky stars since they had an encounter with the same man.

The woman told Stabroek News that she had awakened early that morning to see someone crawling on the floor near her bed. She said she called out to her son and the man jumped through a window which was the same one he used to enter.

She said when the man leapt she looked through the window and saw him in the yard. The woman's son pursued the man into the street and was joined by other residents. Persaud said she later learnt that the man shot and killed Singh.

According to Persaud, who operates a shop, the previous day's sales were taken along with her handbag. She could not say how much money the man stole or if he had taken other items since the police told her not to touch anything until they had swept the area for fingerprints.

She said items such as her television set and computer were untouched.

Residents yesterday said that the man had attempted to gain entry to two other homes.

Singh, who had been married to Glycis for 20 years, has left to mourn two other children, Tiffany, ten and Keisha, 15.

His wife described him as a jovial person who was very popular in the area.