A Bartica businessman at the center of a high-profile nightclub shooting in August 2023 has been acquitted of all charges after a magistrate ruled there was insufficient evidence for the case to proceed.

Vivendra Balgobin, 46, of Fifth Avenue, Bartica, was freed on Tuesday after the Bartica Magistrate’s Court upheld a no-case submission presented by his attorney, Bernard DaSilva. Balgobin had faced a charge of felonious wounding stemming from a violent altercation at a popular Bartica nightclub that left two people injured.

The incident unfolded around midnight on August 30, 2023, when an argument erupted inside the club after a friend of Balgobin allegedly bumped into the table of Conroy Cox, also known as “Pink Boy,” and his group, spilling drinks and sparking a heated exchange. According to police reports, Cox confronted the individual, and Balgobin intervened, leading to a further escalation. Cox reportedly threw a liquid substance in Balgobin’s face and physically assaulted him before leaving the club. He later returned in his vehicle and continued to verbally abuse Balgobin from outside.

Eyewitnesses claimed that as Cox exited his vehicle, Balgobin drew his licensed firearm and fired several shots in Cox’s direction, hitting him three times in the abdomen. An 18-year-old bystander, Lavella Douglas, was also struck in the right hand by a stray bullet. Both victims were rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital and subsequently discharged after treatment.

Balgobin was arrested shortly after the shooting, and his licensed firearm was seized by police. He was initially charged with attempted murder and released on $800,000 bail on the condition that he surrender his passport. The attempted murder charge was later withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions at the request of Cox, the primary complainant, and replaced with a charge of felonious wounding.

During the most recent court hearing, Balgobin’s attorney argued that the prosecution had failed to provide credible evidence to support the charge. Magistrate Teriq Mohamed agreed, ruling that the elements required to prove the offence had not been established and subsequently dismissed the case.

The shooting, which shocked the Bartica community, raised questions about the use of licensed firearms and nightclub security. With the court’s ruling, Balgobin is now cleared of all criminal liability in connection with the incident.