The reputed wife of a city money-changer is nursing a gunshot wound to one of her legs after four gunmen yesterday morning opened fire on their Pike Street, Kitty home.

The suspected gunmen, who have since been taken into custody, had earlier severely beat an employee of the money-changer, James Mc Kenzie. They were subsequently restrained from further ill-treating the man at which point they took up arms and threw down the gauntlet to Mc Kenzie inside his own yard.

Police said in a release that four suspects have been arrested and one of two motor cars in which they were operating was also taken into police custody.

Up to press time Mc Kenzie's reputed wife, Donna Bishop was in the Georgetown Public Hospital receiving medical attention.

Stabroek News was told that the gunplay stemmed from Mc Kenzie's handyman being accused by the gunmen of stealing rear-view mirrors from off their vehicles. According to reports, around 1:30 yesterday morning, three men showed up at Mc Kenzie's Pike Street home and demanded to enter his yard. The gate was closed and the accused mirror thief was manning it.

Stabroek News was told that one of the men then asked the man at the gate to see Mc Kenzie and he advised him that the money- changer was asleep and would prefer not to be disturbed. The man insisted, telling the employee that he had some US currency to change and with this he was let into the yard.

According to reports when the assailants entered the yard they immediately confronted the man at the gate and threw him into a zinc fence. He was then severely beaten with a plank, kicked and cuffed about his body.

It was while this was going on, Mc Kenzie told Stabroek News, he heard the commotion and decided to look out of his window.

He said he saw a man with a black revolver and others with pieces of wood in their hands. Mc Kenzie related that he ordered the men out of his yard telling them that his place was a private property.

The gunmen, according to reports, told Mc Kenzie that they were there to retrieve mirrors stolen by his employee, but the money- changer remained steadfast that they should leave.

With this the gunmen became annoyed and began threatening Mc Kenzie. He however, succeeded in getting them out of his yard.

Stabroek News understands that the men retreated, but within 45 minutes two cars returned with two more men. At this point the men brandished weapons and called out Mc Kenzie. The money- changer said by this time he had moved from the lower flat of his house and was sitting in his unfinished upstairs with his wife. He looked out onto Pike Street only to be greeted with bullets which shattered his glass window and drilled holes into the wall. Mckenzie and his wife ran for cover but the gunmen continued to spray the house. One of the bullets grazed Mc Kenzie on his leg while his reputed wife was blasted behind her thigh.

They were both taken to the hospital for treatment.

When Stabroek News visited Mc Kenzie's home yesterday, there was evidence of the shattered glass windows and bullet holes in the wall. Close friends of the money-changer said the gunmen are 'hot heads' in the area and are well-known by many. With regard to the damage to his house, the money-changer said it was costing him a lot of money to complete his upstairs.

He said the gunmen's bullets wrecked his windows which were only recently put on. Yesterday afternoon the money-changer had a confrontation with the men at the Kitty Police Station.