A security officer is in police custody following the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Kevon Benjamin at a supermarket along the Beterverwagting Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara.

Police said the incident occurred on Saturday at about 5:45 p.m. when Benjamin, of La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara, and the 46-year-old security officer were allegedly involved in an altercation.

During the confrontation, a firearm was allegedly discharged, striking Benjamin in the abdomen.

Benjamin was taken to the Enmore Regional Hospital, where he received emergency treatment but later succumbed to his injuries.

Police subsequently took the security guard into custody. A 9mm Beretta firearm and a magazine containing 16 matching rounds of ammunition were recovered and lodged as investigations continue.