WASA retiree shot dead in Siparia

A boy’s worst nightmare was realised when he went to his grandpa’s home to get some more of his delicious pelau, but instead found him dead, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his head.

A single bullet to the forehead ended the life of 66-year-old retired WASA worker Michael Kelly at Siparia, on Friday night.

His family who heard the gunshot hid in their home at Queen Street, Quinam Road, and remained quiet, waiting for the danger to go away, unaware that one of their loved ones was the gunman’s target.

The pensioner's daughter Markella Kelly said she was with her father just about an hour before his death.

“I was with my father throughout the entire day after he came home from Siparia. He was cooking pelau."

Markella, who lives next door, said she went home and took food for her children.

“About an hour after, I was sitting at home with my children when we heard a loud explosion. I told my children to lock the door and stay inside and don’t say anything.”

She related that sometime after, one of her sons said he was feeling to eat more of grandpa’s food and he left and went over.

“When he reached by grandpa, grandpa was already dead. Somebody killed grandpa.”

She said her son ran back home and told her something was wrong with grandpa. At the same time, she said, she received a call from her brother’s girlfriend who told her to go and check on her father as something had happened.

“I rushed across and when I reached on the step I called out “daddy”, “daddy”. He did not answer. I went inside and as I walked inside I saw my father with a gunshot wound to his head. He was bleeding, sitting upwards with his head bent.

“He was unresponsive.”Markella said her mother, who is mentally ill, was in the house at the time he was shot. She said he was also on the telephone with one of his sisters, Maureen, while the gunman was there.

She said her father and Maureen spoke daily and she told the family while she was on the phone with him, she heard him asking someone, “what happen boy” and then the line went dead.

“So his killer was there with him while he was on the phone. I want to believe he knew his killer, and his killer knew him.”

The question, she said, is why someone wanted him dead. She said he was well-liked and a favourite where he lived and had no known enemies.

She said her father, who smoked weed, had a joint in his hand and believes his killer brought it for him.

According to a police report, Markella reported to the Siparia police that around 9 pm, she was at her home situated behind her father’s home with her boyfriend when they heard a loud explosion.

She later made checks and observed her dad on the top floor of his two-storey home sitting on a chair, unresponsive and nursing gunshot injuries to his head.

No motive has yet been established and PC Sewdath is continuing investigations.