DESPITE the shooting to death on Tuesday of four persons, including two lawmen who bravely confronted the threat to public safety, by businessman Deryck Kanhai who went berserk, hundreds of those gathered at the scene showed no support for the police.This Guyana Chronicle reporter arrived at the scene fifteen minutes after the episode started and remained until the end. It was observed that when the lawmen were shot and lost their lives, a small number of onlookers openly expressed regrets but the majority of the crowd were heard making very insensitive and derogatory comments directed at the police.
The crowd of onlookers included a large number of young people, men and women. Their comments focused on police using deadly firepower in engaging suspects in deprived communities but in this instance they seemed incapable of bringing down a lone gunman in a timely manner.
Policemen in the crowd and those who created a human chain to prevent onlookers from getting too close to the crime scene were forced to endure the unfair statements being levelled at ranks in the height of the exchange of the gunfire.

CROWD APPLAUSE
What did not escape attention was the crowd response to the exchange of gunfire. It was noticed that when the police fired at the gunman there was silence among most of the crowd but as soon as the gunman returned fire there was rapturous applause.
The reaction from the crowd proved that those who were showing clear support for the gunman were in total disregard of the valiant role being played by the young policemen who were putting their lives on the line in answering the call to duty.
As the police left in vehicles with their fallen colleagues, there were those who cried in support of the Guyana Police Force but others ran behind the vehicles voicing comments that “they got more fu dead, duh man gun terror dem.”
At the Georgetown Public Hospital there were many persons who behaved like the masses at Middle and East Streets, discrediting the efforts being made by the police to bring the situation under control.
The remarks of one woman was so disturbing that it upset a female police corporal to the point of bringing her to tears just when the body of policeman Michael Forde was brought into the hospital compound in the back of a police vehicle.
Tuesday’s scenario showed the need for the police to be able to equip themselves for an adequate and timely response to all threats to public safety and good order.
Many of the policemen who responded to the scene on Tuesday were seen running into the firing line without protective vests or helmets.
Meanwhile, Deryck Kanhai’s brother on Wednesday told this newspaper that the man’s actions were stupid and he claimed the lives of innocent persons. His brother also stated that he was feeling bad about the entire situation.

(By Leroy Smith )