Cops fired on crowd after hail of bottles, bricks - Gilhuys
A probe into incidents during the recent public service strike was told yesterday that riot police fired on a large crowd in front of the John Fernandes wharf on May 18 in response to a hail of bottles and bricks which their commanding officer deemed dangerous. This testimony was supplied by Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Gordon Gilhuys, who had been the commanding officer on the day in question when 17 people, including police officers, were reported by the press to have been injured in a confrontation with police. Gilhuys was the first of three police witnesses who took the stand yesterday morning as the Commission of Enquiry headed by Justice Carl Singh looked into the May 18 incident as part of an inquiry into the strike's effect on the wharves. Led by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dennis Hanomansingh, who is representing the police in this enquiry, the DSP also told the court that he had not been aware that persons were injured as a result of these actions. He recalled that his unit had originally been deployed to disperse a crowd of around 150 persons who were said to have been obstructing the free passage of workers and vehicles at the wharf. He recalled that he received instructions to that effect from Assistant Commissioner Henry Greene, the commander of "A" Division, Georgetown and had then led his unit to the wharf. Gilhuys said that on arrival at the Water Street wharf, he had observed a "boisterous" crowd which was blocking vehicles' access to the northern gate at the wharf. Further, based on a conversation with a John Fernandes security officer, Gilhuys said he learned that all operations had ground to a halt as vehicles had been barred from entering and leaving. The DSP reported that he pleaded with some members of the crowd for five minutes to remove from the gate and go about their lawful business. However, according to Gilhuys, he was met with chants of "we gon got to dead" and "we ain't going nowhere.. nobody passing". Gilhuys recalled that, outside of his unit, there had been other police officers stationed at the wharf at the time and that he ordered these to effect arrests. However, having no batons, these officers were said to have been unsuccessful and Gilhuys said that he next latched on to a plan to open the gate and then have the police escort the blocked vehicles through the opening. However, according to the officer, this plan was foiled by some women who threw themselves on the ground and proclaimed that they weren't moving. Other officers then tried to arrest them but Gilhuys disclosed that because of the size of the women, they were unsuccessful. At that stage, the crowd was said to have grown to around 200-250 men and women who were said to have swarmed in front of the open gate. According to Gilhuys, some members of the crowd were seen with plastic buckets with water and sponges, seemingly in preparation for any possible tear-gas attack by the police. The DSP later disclosed that this sight, coupled with the consideration that tear-gas would harm nearby vendors and mini-bus drivers solidified his decision to use the shotguns rather than another method of crowd control. However, continuing with his testimony about the incidents leading up to the fateful shooting, Gilhuys said he then ordered the gate closed again. He then interjected that on his arrival he had been scanning the crowd for any leader, be it political or union, and that up till that time he had failed to spot any. However Gilhuys said that after the gate was closed he observed a smaller crowd of about 25 persons who had within their midst, Dr Anwar Hussein, First Vice President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU). Gilhuys testified that Hussein and the other members of the crowd "sandwiched" his unit and between dancing and shouting were heard chanting "we got to be martyrs... we got to dead... we ain't moving". Gilhuys said that by that time he considered that the police officers were in danger and that he then ordered a withdrawal of both those officers under his command as well as the others. He reported that, shortly afterwards at about 1550 hrs he was joined by a unit from the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) and that, after consulting with their leader, decided to merge the two units and go into formation. The formation, Gilhuys described, had the baton sections of the combined units forming the front phase. The baton section was then ordered to effect arrests while the rest of the unit was then supposed to provide support, a plan that worked to the extent that the people scattered through access streets by the neighbouring J.P. Santos building. However, at this stage, Gilhuys recalled that a number of bottles and bricks were hurled from the crowd and that shortly after the crowd ran he spotted a fire burning on the southern wall of J.P. Santos. Gilhuys recalled that the onslaught of bottles and bricks kept up injuring some policemen even as others were battling the fire. Judging the situation to be getting more dangerous, he said he made radio contact with the Commander and sought permission by radio from his Commander to go into action to defend his unit. After receiving this permission, Gilhuys said that he ordered his men to open fire but in keeping with standard practice, fired so as not to hit anyone. Around this time, a fire tender was reported to have arrived to fight the fire but according to Gilhuys, it too was stoned and some firemen were injured as a result. Gilhuys pointed out to Commissioner Singh that shotguns, which fired pellets said to leave a small scar, were chosen as opposed to the more deadly rifles. After pointing out the above factors that weighed against the use of the tear-gas, Gilhuys also added that the large number of persons within J.P. Santos would have been affected. He also noted that from his experience, using tear-gas close to the markets sparked off a high incidence of theft since stallholders abandoned their stalls. Thus, the ranks opened fire but according to Gilhuys, they followed standard procedure by not aiming for anyone. The DSP next reported that he had not been aware that persons were hurt as a consequence of these actions which had succeeded in forcing the crowd towards the Berbice car park. He however, recalled reading reports in the press about people being injured. Gilhuys' testimony was followed by that of Detective Sergeant William Pitt of the Fraud Squad, who reported receiving instructions from ASP Adams which caused him to go to the Georgetown Hospital on that day. Williams told the enquiry that, at the hospital he was informed that there were supposed to be some 18 persons, of both sexes who had been there seeking attention for gunshot wounds that they had received. Because of the ongoing strike at the hospital they were said to have gone elsewhere to seek medical attention. The Detective Sergeant told the court that he then went to Woodlands Hospital where he saw some persons who said they were waiting to see the doctor. Pitt, describing the persons as boisterous, said that they had professed to having been injured by gunshot wounds. Pitt said that he was unable to get their names and addresses since the persons, some of whom were said to be bleeding slightly, were aggressive towards him and seemed on the verge of attacking him. The testimony of Pitt and Gilhuys was complemented by testimony from a Sergeant Linden Alves of the TSU who reported that himself and some other named officers had been injured by the missiles. Alves was the last witness for the day after which Commissioner, Justice Carl Singh reported that other civilians had indicated an interest in participating in the enquiry as it pertained to the wharves. To facilitate this, he announced that the Court would turn its attention to alleged incidents of malicious damage to property suffered during the strike today. This should allow sufficient time for these persons to be present when the commission resumes looking at the wharves tomorrow. To that end, he indicated that representatives from Bhena's Footwear and Sears Hardware Store on Regent Street along with other individuals would be appearing today to testify.
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