THE 57-year-old security guard who was shot in the head during a botched robbery on Monday is in the intensive care unit at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope.
Peola Baptiste, who has over 20 years' service with Allied Security, had surgery on Tuesday night, after she suffered a stroke hours earlier.
In a telephone interview with Newsday on Wednesday, one of Baptiste’s two daughters, Dianna Wellington, said there were no complications during the surgery and the family is now praying for her to regain consciousness.
“She is not responsive at this time. Doctors said she has to wake up on her own.
"So we just have to be strong and can’t give up. All we can do is hope and pray for the best.”
Baptiste’s colleagues Jeffery Peters, 51, and Jerry "Bat" Stuart, 49, were murdered when five men ambushed and shot at the unarmoured van the three were travelling in. The security guards had just collected money from Pennywise in La Romaine and were leaving when they were tattacked.
The killers burnt the car they were using and took a white Nissan X-Trail. With police pursuing them, the men ran into a Pond Street, La Romain home, where they reportedly had a shootout with police.
Four of the men – Kyle and his brother Keyon "Bush" Ramdhan, Greg Dodough and Deaundre "Monty" Montrose – all of Fyzabad, were killed.
Police have three men in custody assisting with investigations.
Police found two loaded pistols and while searching nearby also found two A-R 15 rifles, two bulletproof vests, a pair of boots, and an empty magazine.
Some of the stolen money was recovered, but police did not say how much.
Wellington said her mother was always cautious during pickups and would tell the family about them.
She said her mother, who previously worked at another security company and was a geriatric nurse for a time, contemplated quitting her job, but with just three years to go before she retired, considered who would hire her and decided to hold on until retirement.
“She knew the dangers of the job. She would always say that she would tell those she worked with that they needed to switch up pick-up times, because they never know who marking them, especially around Christmas time. She was always aware of her surroundings.”
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