Police shoot, kill larceny suspect
By Edlyn Benfield
Stabroek News
November 20, 2003
Police shot and killed an unidentified man, whom they said was a suspect in a break and enter and larceny report, around noon yesterday on Carmichael Street.
However, eyewitnesses' accounts of the circumstances surrounding the killing vary from information provided in a police press release.
The Police Public Rela-tions Office press release said investigations are being conducted into a shooting incident which occurred around 12:05 pm, at the corner of Middle and Carmichael streets, in which an unidentified man was shot during an attempt to arrest him.
The release said that police were making inquiries into a report of break and enter and larceny at the time, and based on information supplied, saw the suspect and attempted to arrest him. It said the man was shot during the intervening period and later pronounced dead at the hospital, adding that his identity was being ascertained.
Someone who said he witnessed the shooting said that the man had been walking in a northerly direction along Carmichael Street when a white Toyota Corolla, PHH 6607, which was occupied by three men wearing civilian clothing, drove up and stopped.
"Then one a de men dem get out the car and walk up to de man and say he wan' search he bag," the eyewitness, who prefers to remain anonymous, recounted.
But instead of handing over the bag, which had been slung across one of his shoulders, the man began to punch the man from the car, according to the eyewitness. "...And de man [from the car] jus' pull out a gun and fire about two shot[s] and de man fall down."
This version of what transpired was subsequently corroborated by three other persons. They said a crowd began to gather shortly afterward and it was at this stage that the man from the car identified himself as a policeman from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force.
Several minutes after, the men picked up the man's motionless body and placed it in the car along with the bag. The man was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospi-tal Corporation, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
This newspaper tried unsuccessfully to get details on the identity of the dead man and was also unable to contact Assistant Superinten-dent, David Ramnarine, for his comments on what eyewitnesses said since he was not in the office.