CHAIRMAN of the Police Complaints Authority, (PCA) Justice Cecil Kennard on Monday said that the statement by lone civilian witness to last September’s fatal shooting of Adrian Bishop in Albouystown at the hands of a police rank has some inconsistencies.

Speaking with this publication during an invited comment, the former Chancellor of the Judiciary, who now heads the PCA, said the witness told police several things in his statement, including that Bishop was struck to the head

with a gun by one of the police ranks who showed up to arrest him on the night in question.
However, based on the post-mortem examination on the body, no injuries were found on the head and that aspect of the statement by the witness has caused the PCA Chairman to return the file to the police who were to forward it to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to determine if the statement would be admissible in the investigation.
Kennard told the Guyana Chronicle that the case has seen the submission of close to fifteen statements which including that of the witness which is now being brought under the microscope. He added that the file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecution almost one month ago since he was finished with his deliberations in the matter and examining the evidence which were contained in the file.
Bishop was killed on September 27 when he was shot by a weapon being carried by a member of the Guyana Police Force. The police in a statement said that the man was shot after he attempted to grab the weapon from a police corporal causing the weapon to go off accidentally.
There were those on the scene of the shooting where the deceased was attending a birthday party who refuted the claims of the police stating that the man was assaulted by the police and shot after he was placed in the police vehicle.
Among the statements which were submitted to the Police Complaints Authority was that the deceased approached a female at the party whom he wanted to befriend and when the woman resisted, he threw a bottle in her direction causing her to make a report to the Brickdam Police Station where ranks responded and attempted to arrest him.
Meanwhile, Bishop who was fingered in several armed robberies in the past was said to have shared a relationship with the said female who is also a member of the Guyana Police Force. The details saw persons raising questions about the relationships being shared by serving members of the force and persons who are on the other side of the law.
Meanwhile Crime Chief Leslie James told this newspaper that the file was not with his department but rather it was sent back to the office of the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority.