Murder suspect chops off soldier’s finger

The suspect in Thursday’s Palatuvier murder in which a woman was chopped to death and the left ankle of her six-year-old son severed, managed to evade capture yesterday morning after eluding a police/army combined team that had surrounded the house that he was hiding in and severing the thumb of a soldier in the event. The team of officers returned to Palatuvier about 2.30 Saturday morning after being tipped that the suspect was hiding in a house at Palatuvier.

They reportedly surrounded the house and were about to apprehend the suspect when he burst through the front door firing wild chops which caught the left thumb of Pvt Bedie before escaping onto the main road. The suspect was chased a short distance down a gully before he escaped. He was said to have been shot in the melee and to have shed his pants and boots during the escape. The team aborted the search sometime around 11 am after following several unsuccessful leads and waiting almost two hours on a helicopter that had been requested to assist with the search.

Pvt Bedie was flown to Trinidad to have his thumb re-attached. Meanwhile, villagers said that they were fearful for their lives and would not be comfortable until the man, who they described as very strong and violent, had been apprehended. They indicated that the suspect knew the hilly, forested terrain quite well and could be hiding anywhere. The search was expected to resume late yesterday evening as the suspect has been deemed armed and dangerous.