TWO licensed firearm holders are in police custody as investigations continue into the killing and beating of two persons by vigilantes in Pearl, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on August 20, Commissioner of Police (ag) David Ramnarine confirmed at a press briefing on Friday.Twenty-one year old Seon Clarke was shot dead by vigilantes, while his friend was badly beaten because they were suspected to be bandits. Clarke had escaped from the police the said day while his accomplice took investigators to a location where they had concealed a gun.

The men were allegedly planning to rob a grocery store in Sarah Johanna, EBD, but their plan was squashed when the alert proprietor of the store noticed their suspicious movements and called out to a policeman, who was passing on the road at the time.

However, around 22:30hrs, members of the community spotted the men on the Pearl Public Road and apprehended them, during which time it is alleged that one of the persons shot Clarke, while others inflicted a beating on his accomplice.

The Top Cop explained that the police force is not in agreement with vigilante justice. However, in explaining the circumstances in the multiple acts of vigilantism recently and giving his opinion, the commissioner said: “The spontaneous, on-the-moment reaction of those members of the public was a combination of factors. In my opinion, they were basically saying… if we arrest these guys and hand them over to the police, they will end up on the street again after they would have attended court. It is not to the extent that they say that we’re are not confident of the police force that they will let them go at the station level, I don’t think so.”