A 32-year-old gold miner – Ceton Mark Courtman – was shot dead yesterday following an argument with a security officer attached to a dredge.
Courtman, of Saint Monica, Upper Pomeroon, was working in the Cuyuni Backdam and came up to the camp at about 11:50 am for lunch when the argument unfolded with the private security officer.
A worker who witnessed the killing told Kiskadee Watch last night, on condition of anonymity, that the security guard had demanded “blai” gold from Courtman, who refused to hand it over. The guard then kicked Courtman to the ground before shooting him in the head.
`Blai’ gold refers to the small amount of gold that miners are traditionally allowed to keep for themselves after a washdown. It is usually collected from the residual gold left in the sluice box, mats, pipes or other mining equipment and is often regarded as a bonus or share for workers, separate from their wages.
“He told Ceton y’all not giving me no `blai’. They continued arguing and the security rushed up to him and tell him to represent his mouth and do something. But Ceton didn’t do anything; he was sitting in a chair. The security went back into the kitchen and collected the gun and chucked down the boy to the ground and shoot him in his head,” the witness shared.
“The security was upset that he didn’t get any blai. They started arguing over that and just like that he took the gun and shot him. He told the boy, ‘I like to kill people. I would collect all you money and send you home without none,’” the witness alleged.
The witness further shared that when the police arrived at the scene, they did not arrest the security guard and instead appeared to interact with him casually. The body was taken to the riverfront en route to the Aurora Mine, where police indicated it would be collected by boat this morning. But as of 10 p.m. on Monday, the security guard still had not been arrested, according to the witness. Up to reporting time there had been no statement from the police.
Main opposition party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) last night called for an impartial probe of the killing.
“WIN demands a thorough and impartial investigation into this horrific incident. We call for justice to be served without fear or favor, regardless of who the perpetrators may be connected to. No one should be above the law. Those responsible for this tragic killing at Sands Backdam must be held accountable”, the party said.
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