Charlotte St. Tragedy: Woman was suffering from years of abuse

A deadly domestic incident unfolded on Charlotte Street in Georgetown on Tuesday, leaving a woman dead and her young son injured – the assailant, her estranged husband, committed suicide.

What initially appeared to be a sudden act of violence was, according family and friends, the tragic conclusion of a long history of domestic abuse.

Dead are 36-year-old Alroy Solomon, the shooter, and his 36-year-old estranged wife, Teekadai Atiya Solomon. Their 10-year-old son, Jeremiah Solomon, was also shot by his father but survived.

Teekadai had been married for just over six years but had been in a relationship with the man for more than 13 years. An employee of ExxonMobil Guyana, the woman was described by her friends as “trapped” in a cycle of domestic abuse.

According to close friends and social media posts, the man used to assault her repeatedly, sometimes in front of her son. He allegedly took her cars for his own use, controlled her finances, and gradually cut her off from some of her family and friends.

“She couldn’t talk to us anymore,” one friend said. “He hid her away and kept her under his thumb. She was suffering silently for years.”

The past year seemed to mark a breaking point.

In July, the couple’s home was destroyed by fire. They decided to separate.

Before moving into the Charlotte Street, Georgetown apartment, Teekadai was the victim of a brutal home invasion while staying with relatives in Sophia, Greater Georgetown. Strangers burst into the house and assaulted everyone inside, including her.

Teekadai and her son later moved into a rented property on Charlotte Street, Georgetown, where they lived for some three months prior to Tuesday’s tragedy.

But even there, according to her friends, violence followed her. Though she was in the process of getting divorced, her child’s father was a frequent visitor.

A few weeks after moving in, it is alleged that the woman was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left her with an injured arm after being thrown into a roadside trench.

A friend told this publication that her estranged husband may have been involved.

“He was jealous and insecure,” the friend explained. “He would accuse her of cheating; of things she never did. Everyone feared what he might do next.”

Just last Sunday, the couple, along with their son, appeared at the Tucville Assemblies of God Church, and participated in an altar call for broken families. Video footage showed them standing, as the pastor and congregation prayed over them and other families who were having “broken relationships”.

“We thought maybe they were trying to make things right because all of them, including the son, were crying during the prayer and after the prayer,” the friend said. “No one imagined this would happen days later.”

When this publication arrived on the scene on Tuesday, neighbours recalled hearing “several loud gunshots”. One woman, who identified herself as Sharon, said her son was nearby selling, and after hearing the sounds of gunshots, she rushed outside in fear.

“I was praying it wasn’t my child. I hear a set of gunshots. I come out to check on my child,” she said. Instead, she said she found the now-dead woman lying motionless in the street, blood streaming from her head.

According to the woman, Jeremiah was heard screaming, “Somebody help!”. She claimed that upon checking with some other residents, they realised that he had been shot somewhere around his stomach. She said he cried out that his father had shot him and that he was dead. The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he remains under treatment.

The father was found nearby with a gunshot wound to the head, and a firearm next to his body. Police believe he turned the weapon on himself after shooting his wife and son.

According to the property owner’s brother, Coel Marks, the family had only been living at the Charlotte Street, Georgetown residence for three months. In that time, the house was twice targeted by gunfire, with one attack damaging his sister’s car.

“There is an ongoing investigation, a police investigation, into a shooting incident that happened twice at the residence… He actually damaged my sister’s car as well. But yeah, this is a case of domestic violence. Surveillance would have supported that claim,” the man related.

“From the optics of it, they seemed to be cordial with each other. He would come, he would take her places, and they would come back. After (an) incident, my brother-in-law spoke to her about it, and she indicated that ‘no, he’s not a harmful person. He wouldn’t hurt her.’ Clearly, that’s not true. Clearly, the results of today will show,” Marks stated.

Meanwhile, police in a statement said that the alleged murder/suicide occurred at Lot 199, Charlotte and Bourda Street, Georgetown. Their investigations revealed that the victim was at her apartment with her son when the suspect showed up in the area in a black motor vehicle, GUY 94, and parked in front of the apartment building.

The 36-year-old man then reportedly exited the vehicle and ran into the compound, after which the woman was heard screaming, followed by several suspected gunshots. The victim ran out of the yard and was followed by the suspect, who discharged several rounds at her, causing her to fall on the ground in front of her apartment, south on Charlotte Street, where she remained motionless.

Following that, the suspect went back into the yard, where he discharged a round at his 10-year-old son, hitting him to his left side lower chest. Alroy Solomon then used the same firearm and shot himself on the left side of his head.

Teekadai was examined, and several gunshot injuries were seen on her body. These include: two to her right-side abdomen, one to her right index finger, one to her left arm, two to her chest, two to her forehead, one to her right hip, and one to her right leg.

Crime Scene investigators recovered a 9mm pistol, containing a magazine and 6 live 9mm rounds of ammunition. One live 9mm round and a matching spent shell were also found next to the suspect. The bodies were taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, awaiting PME.

Some moments after the incident, ExxonMobil Guyana, where Teekadai was an employee, in a statement said: “We are heartbroken by the tragic passing of our dear colleague today. Her loss is felt profoundly across our organization. Our thoughts are with her family, her loved ones, and all who were close to her”.

Also, President Dr Irfaan, in a statement, said he was deeply distressed and saddened by the tragic incident. He stated that the family remains the basic cell of human society, and its preservation is essential to our nation’s well-being.

“When families break, society bleeds. But when families thrive, a nation stands tall. I remain firmly committed to working to provide all the help and support that families need to be nurtured, to grow stronger, and to flourish”, he said.

He also visited the injured child on Tuesday evening, and stated that he assured him that he carries with him the love and compassion of an entire nation.

“…we will stand firmly by his side as he works to overcome this painful trauma and ordeal. I call upon our religious leaders, and indeed all our people, to lift this child in prayer and to ask the Almighty to surround him with strength, comfort, and healing in the days and months ahead,” he said.