– in wake of escapee incident that led to cop’s death

CHIEF Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Mr Michael Khan, on Wednesday, confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle that with effect from Tuesday all prisoners and persons who are escorted to the facility by police and prison officers will be given priority treatment.

The new arrangement came into effect immediately after a prisoner disarmed a police constable and bolted out of the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital with the cop’s firearm and who later shot at a detective corporal who attempted to arrest him.
This arrangement will apply for their visits to the various clinics within the hospital or to the A&E Unit. The CEO said that while he has asked his chief security officer to submit a report regarding the escapee incident, it has not yet reached his desk.
Khan said that it was always a personal concern of his as well as management whenever police and prison officers with guns show up at the facility with prisoners or other persons in their custody.
He said that the safety of staff and persons who visit the facility for medical attention is something that is always under consideration. The incident on Monday, he said, could have been worse in the event that there was an exchange of gunfire if other police officers were at the facility or if the prisoner had decided to go on a shooting rampage.
Khan also noted, that while the subsequent shooting was unfortunate, the blame should not be cast on the A&E Unit since the place was packed with patients at the time and at the end of the day the department is an “emergency” one.
He also reminded that the department has a triage system and that was being followed on Monday when the prisoner decided to make his escape.
Meanwhile, a hospital source on Wednesday confirmed to this newspaper that the prisoner was not there for more than five hours. The source stated that the prisoner arrived at the facility at 15:00hrs and was registered at 15:15hrs. It was at approximately 18:30hrs that he made a dash for his freedom.
The hospital CEO said that while the hospital has changed the system to accommodate the police and prison, those two agencies have an obligation and mandate to ensure the protection of the public and they can do that effectively by ensuring that when they bring prisoners to the hospital they are properly secured.
A post-mortem performed by government pathologist Dr. Nehual Singh on the body of detective corporal 14998 Silburn Elias revealed that he died as a result of haemmorhage and shock caused by gunshot injuries.
Crime Chief, Deputy Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud confirmed that a single warhead was retrieved from the cop’s body. And he informed that the investigations into the matter are ongoing.
The post-mortem also confirmed that the policeman was shot dead by a bullet from a .38 revolver. When the prisoner, Delon Abrams disarmed police constable Joel Greene on Monday at the Georgetown Public Hospital he made off with the policeman’s .38 service revolver.
Meantime, there have been reports in sections of the media that the corporal might have been shot by friendly fire from another weapon in the hands of one of his colleagues. However, the police public relations department dispelled those claims as their release sought to confirm that the cop was shot by the prisoner with the gun he had wrestled from the cop at the hospital. And there was no mention of the claims by the prisoner that he was also able to wrestle a second firearm from another constable.
The police were to conduct a video interview with the prisoner who said that it was not his intention to shoot the cop and it was an accident.

(By Leroy Smith)