‘We’re not silent’

GOVERNMENT has ordered an investigation into the circumstances which resulted in the death of three alleged bandits at the Georgetown seawall on March 15, President David Granger disclosed on Wednesday.

Police shot and killed 46-year-old Dextroy Cordis, called “Dutty” of Grove, East Bank Demerara; Kwame Assanah of Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD); and 57-year-old Errol Adams, also known as “Dynamite,” of Buxton, ECD. The police in a statement said that the men had trailed a customer from a commercial bank and were about to commit a crime when they were confronted.

Police said the men shot at them first and they returned fire, killing them.
Speaking to reporters on the sideline of an accreditation ceremony at State House, the Head-of-State said the matter was dealt with at the level of the National Security Committee. “It is my instruction that on any occasion where there is the death of a person by unnatural means, that, that death should be investigated…particularly in the Defence and Police Forces.”

The president said too that some action was likely to be taken “to have the file sent to the DPP to determine whether there is any blameworthiness in the death of the persons.”

The Guyana Chronicle had first reported that government was likely to order an inquest into the seawall killings. The source told the newspaper that several members within the administration were concerned about how the trio was killed and as such, reminded of their position prior to taking office. “That doesn’t look good and we will need an inquest. This is something when in opposition we fought against,” the source told the Guyana Chronicle.

Meanwhile, President Granger assured reporters that his administration was not asleep on the matter. “We are not silent. The response that we have made is decisive and effective that the commissioner of police has received clear instructions about the investigation,” he stated. President Granger said too that the Coroner’s Act was clear and required that an inquest be held, should there be an unnatural death. “I don’t have to order an inquest; I expect an inquest…the law is there,” said President Granger. “As far as I am concerned, there should be no controversy — the death of any citizen under abnormal or irregular circumstances should be investigated,” the President continued.

In December 2015, the President had given the assurance that his administration would reform the rules for Coroners’ Inquests, noting then that the coroners appointed would not necessarily be district magistrates. This, he said, would enable the state to ensure that all unnatural deaths were investigated. “So even in a case where persons assumed to be criminals are shot, we will have inquests and there will be greater care exercised by the police authority to ensure that the policemen do not act unlawfully,” the President said back then on his weekly television programme, The Public Interest. On the said programme, the President said it was his desire to see due process and persons arrested and taken before the courts. “Is there a gang leader? Are there guns, and whom are they coming from? If you kill them, you don’t know these things,” the President had said during the interview.

Meanwhile, autopsies last week confirmed that the men were shot multiple times with at least two of them sustaining some six bullets. Since their deaths, Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine said the killing of the men was justified. However, on Monday an eyewitness, Devon Lyte, surfaced and made statements contrary to that of the police.

Lyte, accompanied by lawyer Nigel Hughes, told a news conference that he was a labourer working on the roof of the Guyana Softball Association building on March 15 at the time of the killings. The young man told reporters that at the time of the shooting incident, he was working with two other men on the roof when, just before midday, he noticed that the police had blocked off the road at the top of Camp Street.

Moments later, he said sounds of gunshots rang out and upon looking across to the seawall, he saw two cars being driven along the seawall road.

“A black car was in front and it was being followed by a silver car. The shots were coming from the silver car. The black vehicle which was in front, stopped, then I saw one person come out of the black car and stood up at the front driver side door [Kwame Assanah]. I then saw one person come out of the silver car. He walked towards the black car. I then saw the person from the silver car start to beat the person who had come out from the driver’s side and was lying on the ground. He beat the one person while he was on the ground. Then after 20 minutes I heard rapid gunfire,” Lyte related.

He continued: “About 10 to 15 minutes after the shooting, policemen from Camp Street started to run up the road. There was a photographer with them. They went to the scene and I also saw the ambulance arrive.” The eyewitness also said that at the time when he heard the rapid gunfire, there was one person standing over the same person who was lying on the ground. Further, he said that he did not see any motor cyclist fleeing the scene during the shooting as claimed by the police.

However, the police have maintained that ranks who were trailing the black car had come under fire from the occupants and during the confrontation, the men were killed, while two other men who had appeared on a motorcycle, opened fire on the police. The police further said that ranks managed to shoot one of the men on the motorcycle, but the rider was able to escape, while only one handgun was recovered at the scene.

When asked if he had noticed any exchange of gunfire between the police and the suspected bandits, Lyte said “I won’t be able to say whether the guy shot at the police or the police shoot at their own vehicle.”
Lyte further noted that before the shooting, there was no other vehicle at the scene, other than the police vehicle and the black car. The families of Assanah and Cordis have also challenged the police’s version of the incident and have called for a thorough investigation.