NEWS FLASH: 17 policemen under close arrest as unarmed men shot on Saturday

Top Cop Leslie James 

More than fifteen members of the Guyana Police Force were placed under close arrest after two out of four men who were in a car early this morning were reportedly shot by ranks from one or more than one of several patrols which cornered the car the young men were in after receiving a radio transmission that the occupants were armed. It turned out that at the time the men were intercepted and shot, no illegal items neither weapons were found in their car.

The injured young men have been identified as 27-year-old Winston Fraser of Lot 8 LaPenitence who is employed with John Fernandes Limited and 39-year-old Cecil Sampat of South Ruimveldt who is also employed as John Fernandes Limited.

Fraser received one gunshot to the upper back while Sampat received three gunshots to the lower back. The other occupants of the car were identified as 22-year-old Joshua Letlow and Seon Greenidge.

BIG Smith News Watch was told that just after 01:30hrs on Saturday morning, police on patrol in the Agricola was in the process of disbursing a crowd when a subordinate officer claimed that he saw two men getting into an argument and one pulled a gun and pointed it at the other one before entering the car in which the young men were in.

The subordinate officer related that he give chase after the car while sending radio transmission for back and somewhere along trailing the car, the police vehicle developed mechanical problems.

As a result of that, the subordinate officer said that he lost sight of the car but after the vehicle was able to work again, he heard a transmission on the radio set and he went to D’Urban Street and Mandela Avenue where he observed the car parked on and four males lying on the ground. He also claimed that there were several other police vehicles at the location.

Police detectives who visited the scene indicated to this publication that nine bullet holes were found on the car in which the men were in. Police sources have also indicated that there was nothing of evidential value found in the car the young men were traveling in neither was anything unlawful found on their person.

The police have been able to spot a few CCTV cameras around the area and would be reviewing those for any evidence they can find on what really took place on Saturday morning.

The two young men who were not shot told the police that on Friday they were basically moving from one drinking spot to the other and were at Agricola when the police came and ordered persons to remove from the area.

Detectives were told by the ranks that Seon got into an argument with another male just as the police arrived and asked everyone to leave. The two young men recalled that as they were at Huston they observed the police vehicle behind them with sirens on and Winston increased the speed which prompted the police to do the same.

According to the two unhurt occupants of the car, while they were on Hadfield Street they observed a white police car and two blue and white police vans behind them, and shortly after they heard loud explosions and Winston and Cecil said that they were hit.

The police are continuing their investigations into the matter even as Winston and Fraser’s hands were swabbed for gunpowder residue.