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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 5, 1993                   TAG: 9301050275
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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GUNFIRE INTERRUPTS PARTY

A gang of armed men interrupted a New Year's celebration at a Southwest Roanoke house, sending frightened occupants scurrying to the roof while the men riddled an apartment with gunfire.

Roanoke police were told that seven men broke through the front door leading to an apartment on Howbert Avenue Southwest at 12:01 a.m. Friday. The men said they were looking for another man and demanded that he be turned over to them.

One of the gunmen had been involved in a fight with the man about a week earlier at a convenience store, witnesses told police.

The gunmen found another man, Gerald R. Guilliams, hiding in a closet. One of the intruders held a .9mm pistol to his head and demanded that he tell them where they could find the man they were seeking.

Police said Guilliams was struck in the forehead with the butt of the gun. He declined treatment.

Meanwhile, the other people in the apartment worked their way to the attic, crawled out a window and got on the roof.

Witnesses told police they heard several shots in the living room. The walls of the apartment contained several bullet holes, police said.

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