The former army Adjutant, Lieutenant Sheriff M. L Gomez said he heard the first bullet of the 1994 coup when Edward Singhateh shot him at Yundum barrack in the morning of 22nd July 1994. Gomez said this at the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission on January 10th 2019 as the third witness. He said on the above said day he went to the Yundum barrack and he saw soldiers in the camp in an unusual manner.
The moment he entered they rouse and arrested him. They took his briefcase and escorted him to the guard room and locked him in the cell. When I entered (the barrack) Edward and others rouse and grip me with their weapons and took me to the guard room and locked me up in the cells,” he said. He said the soldiers then asked him the ammunition store keys (the rooms where weapons are) for them to get the weapons they want to do their rebellion. “I ask him (Edward Singhateh), what are you doing? He immediately release a round of bullets that past my head.
For me this was the first shot of the coup,” he said. He said then Edward cooks his gun again to shot him for the second time without missing him. “Edward said I’m not going to miss it again. I know his resentment. I know Edward is always bitter. You could see that he was at rouse to do something,” he said. Gomez said he then asked for his briefcase and it was immediately brought. And he gave them the ammunition store keys. “Immediately he gives me my briefcase, they open the amour and take the weapons they wanted,” he said.
He further said three days after the success of the coup he was moved from Yundum Barrack guard room cell to Mile II in detention. “On 6th September the whole Junta visited me. Edward pointed his rifle at me. He said (again) the last time I shot and miss and now I’m not going to miss. When they were living he shouted my name and said he’ll be coming for me,” he said.