Windsor Forest residents complained of Police brutality
– claim ranks were intoxicated, demanded bribe
– Police claimed it was attacked by stone, bottle-throwing mob
CONTROVERSY surrounds the Easter Monday shooting incident that occurred at Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara as angry residents yesterday complained of police brutality and other unlawful conduct on its part. Initial reports in another section of the media had indicated that it was residents who attacked the police officers on Monday night but outraged residents yesterday told the Chronicle that the articles  published in the Kaieteur News and the Guyana Times on the incident were  “back-to-front” and “up-sided-down” and in fact, the other way around.
When this newspaper visited the scene yesterday morning, angry residents protested, while noting that they were simply engaging in a rather normal activity, that of the Easter celebrations, which are customarily done each year.

Police officers however, arrived on the scene at approximately 10:30 pm and ordered that the party be stopped. There were reportedly other such parties on the West Coast that were permitted to carry on their activities uninterrupted.
It is further alleged that some of the police officers who arrived on the scene, including Divisional Commander Balram Persaud, were intoxicated and wasted no time in opening fire. “Innocent people were picked up and taken down,” one resident said.
Apart from ordering that the celebration be terminated, residents said the officers did not stop there. They proceeded across the road, from the seawall where the event was being kept, to ‘Unstoppable Night Spot and Bar’, located at Lot 24 Main Street, Windsor Forest, where they “chased away patrons”.
At this business entity, which is operating with a license, some of the customers were reportedly pushed, kicked, and gun-butted. The Chronicle observed blood stains on the premises which were reportedly as a result of police brutality on one of the patrons. That the officers smashed liquor bottles and disrupted tables was also evident at the scene yesterday.
Furthermore, the organizers of the ‘Easter Monday lime’ on the seawall, were in possession of a permit that stated they had until 12 midnight to carry on their function.

Commander Balram Persaud was quoted in a section of the media as saying he and his ranks from the Leonora Police Station were forced to open fire on the civilians, after the mob (the civilians) attacked the ranks with bottles and stones, and had tried to relieve two of his men of their firearms.
“I discharged one round…the lives of my ranks were in danger…I had no alternative,” the Kaieteur News quoted Balram as saying.
But commenting on this media report following the incident, one resident questioned the possibility of ordinary citizens attacking officers with huge guns in their possession. Many persons were licensed firearm holders but chose not to retaliate, the resident commented.
Another allegation that surfaced yesterday was that a popular restaurant and bar in Anna Catherina also held a similar event but received a poor turnout of people. The owner of that bar allegedly paid the officers to shut-down the Windsor Forest Celebration so that persons there would choose to move down to Anna Catherina. 
One more allegation, which was heard repeatedly by the Chronicle, was that the officers were demanding $100,000 from the organizers of the event but became enraged when they were offered only $10,000 for the continuation of the music.
Three persons were shot during the incident with the most serious case being dealt with at the Balwant Singh Hospital in Georgetown. The individual admitted was said to be an overseas-based Guyanese.
Ramnarine Jagrup, another one of the men shot, could not manage to get out a pellet from his upper thigh up to yesterday morning, despite visiting a hospital. Bullets grazed two other parts of his body, also resulting in injuries.
The third man, Deoram Budhan, told the Chronicle that he went to pick up his two children from the event and received injuries to his body following the commotion. Bullets reportedly grazed parts of his body as well.
When this newspaper visited the Leonora Police Station yesterday, it received reports that Commander Persaud and other officers were summoned to a meeting in Georgetown to discuss the incident.

POLICE VERSION
However, in a statement issued yesterday, the Guyana Police Force reported that, at about 19:00 hrs on Monday April 25, 2011, the police in “D” Division (West Demerara/East Bank Essequibo) commenced closing down music sets that were playing at Easter activities in the Division which included the Joe Vieira Park at Schoon Ord, WBD; the Windsor Forest Seawall, WCD; and Kastev Housing Scheme, Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD.
During the day the police had received several reports of noise nuisance at the Leonora and Den Amstel Police Stations from citizens.
The police said that, initially, the operators of the music systems at all the locations complied and the sets were turned off. However, at  about 19:45 hrs, a stereo system at the Windsor Forest Seawall, for which no permission was granted to play, started to play loud music again.

“Further, reports of noise nuisance were received by the police and a team of three police ranks, Corporal 18372 Sherwin Smith, Constable 20724 Oswin Fordyce and Constable 20483 Kevin Fileen, went and requested the operators to turn off the music system; whereupon they came under attack by a number of persons on the seawall who threw stones, bottles and other missiles at the ranks and rushed them and attempted to take away their firearms,” the police statement said.

As a result, the police said a scuffle ensued between the police ranks and the group of men during which the ranks received injuries to their bodies but managed to hold on to their firearms and arrest five of the men who were taken to the Leonora Police Station.

“Later,  at about 20:15 hrs, information was received by the police that persons were blocking the public roadway at Windsor Forest and were burning tires and other materials on the roadway and obstructing the free flow of traffic,” the police stated.

“The police went to scene and came under attack with bottles, stones and other missiles being thrown at them and the police responded by discharging a round from a shotgun at the crowd which caused them to disperse,” the statement said.

The police said they arrested eight more persons who were also taken to the Leonora Police Station.

It was subsequently found that two motor cars and a mini-bus that were parked on the Windsor Forest public road were damaged and this is suspected to have been done by persons among the crowd.

The three injured police ranks were treated at the Leonora Cottage Hospital and sent away.

It was noted that members of the Police Office of Professional Responsibilities were called in and have launched an investigation into the matter.