Policemen were performing protection duties for Brazilian businessman

THE police Office of Professional Responsibility is continuing investigations into the shooting of Constable Leroy English who was shot to the right hand and foot by a colleague in friendly fire last Wednesday.The Guyana Chronicle inadvertently stated that Constable Jeffers was the police rank who shot English and this publication apologises to the rank for that unfortunate error and regrets any inconvenience it may have caused him.
While Rural Constable Jeffers who is stationed in ‘A’ Division was one of the police ranks on the scene of the shooting that night, he was also the person who rushed to the rescue of Constable English after he was hit in a hail of bullets fired in his direction.
New information reaching the Guyana Chronicle from a source close to the investigation revealed that there are some six police ranks, including rural constables, who are under investigation in the incident.
Information also suggested that on the night of the incident when the young Da Silva telephoned his father, a businessman, to inform him of the unmarked cars that were chasing him, his father in turn informed a group of policemen about the development and they raced to the location.
The Chronicle learnt that the police who were contacted by the businessman about the situation are paid by the businessman to look after his security interests and would act as bodyguards for him and his family whenever they are not on active duty.
On the night of the incident the police ranks who were contacted by the businessman turned up at the scene and, according to the information reaching this newspaper, recognised that the persons who were chasing the businessman’s son were police officers.
They, however, began firing shots in the direction of English who is stationed on the West Bank of Demerara, and is not familiar to them. They apparently took the rank for a bandit even as Jeffers repeatedly cautioned them that the person they were turning their guns on was a police officer.
The rank who was identified as the person who shot English is said to be a rank stationed in ‘A’ Division. In addition, on the same night that the Constable English approached the vehicle of the businessman’s son at the Demerara Harbour Bridge and identified himself with his badge even as the windows to the vehicle remained up, a police rank was seated in the vehicle acting in a security capacity for the younger Da Silva.
It was reported that after the policeman who was seated in Da Silva’s vehicle realised that the person who was chasing the vehicle and who approached their vehicle was indeed a policeman, the decision was made to drive the vehicle through the Demerara Harbour Bridge cordon in an attempt by the policeman to conceal his moonlighting activities.
When the high speed chase ended up on the East Bank of Demerara it was there that the senior Da Silva showed up shortly after his off duty police security detail had already fired shots in their bid to protect the son of the businessman.
On Wednesday morning, police ranks travelling along the West Bank of Demerara gave chase after the young Da Silva’s vehicle after it was being driven in a dangerous manner that almost caused the death of another police rank who moments earlier had stepped out of the vehicle in which he and a senior police officer were travelling.
On Thursday Police Commissioner (ag), Seelall Persaud said that the reports surrounding the shooting of the constable were very confusing and the matter was being investigated. He said that the police will comment on the matter when all the facts are clearly available to the force.

(By Leroy Smith )