Bullets fly in Pomona robbery

Dangriga police are tonight hot on the trail of armed bandits who attacked a shop in the Stann Creek Valley on Tuesday night. According to investigating officers, around eight thirty, two customers, Wayne Perriott and a minor were shopping in the Ziaona store in Pomona when two men, one wearing a white handkerchief over his face and another with a ski-cap pulled down low, entered the establishment armed with a revolver. The man with the gun pistol-whipped the proprietor to the right side of his head and then ordered everyone to lie on the ground. But instead of lying low, Perriott ran down one of the store’s aisles and the gunman shot him. Injured, Perriott got up and headed for the back door but he was shot a second time, this time to the jaw. Despite the fact that he was bleeding profusely, Perriott was determined to escape and managed to kick out a window in the rear of the building and ran for help. Back in the shop, the thieves grabbed the cash drawer and took off. But the alarm had already been raised by alert residents in the area so when the bandits took bush, a couple of men chased after them. That pursuit ended when the gunman turned and fired, fortunately missing. Police returned to the scene today and we understand managed to collect evidence that they hope will lead to the identification of the perpetrators. As for the shooting victim, Wayne Perriott was flown from the Southern Regional to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital last night, where his condition is serious but stable. Dangriga police tell News Five that the cooperation of Pomona villagers in this case is to be applauded as they showed commendable courage in the face of danger.