– as autopsies reveal seawall bandits shot six times each

THE post-mortem results of the three suspected bandits who were shot and killed by police last week on the Georgetown seawall died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The post-mortem results according to relatives of the deceased, also reveal that the men, identified as Dextroy “Dutty” Cordis, 46, of Grove, East Bank Demerara, Kwame Assanah of Buxton, East Coast Demerara and Errol “Dynamite” Adams, 57, of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast and Buxton, ECD, were not shot at close range.

The three suspected bandits were killed by the police following a reported shootout on the Georgetown seawall. Lawrence Assanah, brother of Kwame Assanah, told the Guyana Chronicle that the post- mortems were conducted on Monday, and while he did not witness them, he was informed that both his brother and Cordis died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

“They told us that there were multiple gunshot wounds and that it was from a distance and all the bullets exited their bodies,” Assanah told the Guyana Chronicle. “Both Kwame and Cordis got six shots each we were told,” Lawrence Assanah continued, while noting that he finds it strange that his brother received six gunshots to the upper part of his body and all of the bullets exited his body, but none damaged his car, to which he was near.
“If they [bullets] exit, then they had to hit something that is nearby…if they were that close to the vehicle then the warheads would have had to hit the vehicle, but the vehicle was not hit,” the grieving man told the Guyana Chronicle. Assanah maintains that the police’s account of what transpired last Thursday is not adding up. “There is so much that isn’t adding up,” he remarked, while noting that his brother was not a criminal. “I know my brother. I am not naïve…I am not trying to cover up for him,” he said, noting that there is no evidence to suggest that his brother was a criminal or had criminal intentions. The autopsies of the three men were done at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary by Dr Nehaul Singh. Singh, according to the police, gave the cause of deaths as multiple gunshot injuries.

Asked whether his family intends to pursue the matter beyond where it is, Assanah said, “We are exploring our options.” He explained that the decision on the way forward will be made by his entire family. “There are grey areas and it is expected that the police [hierarchy] has to defend their ranks, but there are too many grey areas,” he declared. Assanah will be buried Friday. Attempts to contact Cordis’ family proved futile on Monday.
Meanwhile, Coleen Osbourne, sister of Errol Adams, told this publication that she was informed that her brother also died from multiple gunshot wounds. She said from the information received, he was shot to his upper body in the region of his shoulder. “They didn’t state how many shots he received,” said Osbourne, who indicated that she did not have any other information pertaining to the post-mortem.

Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnaraine, told reporters Monday that the killing of the trio was justified and noted that the men were not executed. “No police officer sets out to execute a citizen, based on training and capacity-building in recent years,” he said. “So, whatever specific actions they may have played on the day in question, thing is, you cannot escape the point that they were part and parcel of an arrangement to commit a criminal act with some serious consequences,” Ramnarine contended, while adding that the men had intended to use deadly force.
He maintained that the police involved in last Thursday’s operation acted in keeping with the law and reacted when they were fired upon by the identified trio. The police had initially stated that Assanah was known to the police and had a criminal record, but then accepted that, that statement was an error.

In a statement Thursday, the police said that following several incidents of robbery under arms committed on customers after completing transactions at various commercial banks, surveillance and collaboration with key stakeholders were improved. The police said that based on information received from ‘Operatives’ performing duty in the vicinity of Scotia Bank on Robb Street, a motorcar with two suspicious-looking characters was in the vicinity and ranks of an anti-crime patrol in an unmarked vehicle were alerted. The ranks followed the vehicle which was observed following a customer who had exited the said bank and was in a motorcar.

Police said at the Kingston seawall, the customer parked his motorcar and the two suspicious- looking characters in the motorcar drove up to the customer’s vehicle and exited, one brandishing a small firearm at the customer. Ranks of the police anti-crime patrol, which was in close proximity, called out to the suspicious-looking characters, but one who was armed discharged several rounds at the police who returned fire. Police said the initial exchange resulted in the deaths of Cordis and Assanah.
Shortly after the exchange of gunfire, two males were observed on a Honda CG motorcycle in close proximity to a Toyota Ist car owned and driven by Assanah. One of the two persons on the motorcycle discharged several rounds at the police, who returned fire and Adams, a known character to the lawmen, was killed. His accomplice sped away on the motorcycle.

A 9mm pistol,along with a magazine containing seven live rounds and four spent shells, was found next to the body of Cordis. The roof and windshield of the police anti-crime vehicle were damaged by gunfire from the suspects. The police said a search conducted on Assanah’s car unearthed a number of items, including a supernumerary precept, one driver’s licence, 10 passports belonging to himself and family members, a key used by “trunkers”, two handcuff keys, a bandana and clothing.