Ormyous Vieira, the security guard accused of killing gold miner Ceton Mark Courtman, appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court earlier this morning and was not required to plead to a murder charge.
Vieira, 27, of Lot 56 Norton Street, Lodge, appeared before Magistrate Teriq Mohamed and was remanded to prison until August 13. Reports are that he will be transferred today to the Lusignan prison.
Courtman, 32, of Saint Monica, Upper Pomeroon, was shot dead following an argument when he went up to the camp around 11:50 hours for lunch.
A worker who witnessed the killing told Kiskadee Watch, on condition of anonymity, that a 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.
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