An East Ruimveldt man was on Sunday night shot dead by a policeman who is also the driver of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee during an altercation at Jerries Snackette on Garnett Street, Newtown, Kitty.
Dead is 26-year-old Clifton Garraway of East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme. He was shot some six times about his body, a relative said, and died on his way to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Stabroek News was told that the policeman has since claimed that Garraway was attacking him when the bullets from his service revolver connected to him. The policeman is currently in the Georgetown Hospital under police guard nursing an underarm wound.
Police said in a statement last evening that they are investigating the circumstances, which led to the fatal shooting of Garraway by the policeman. According to the statement, the policeman was not on duty and the shooting followed an alleged altercation and scuffle between Garraway and the policeman. The statement said the police rank had been issued with a handgun by the force, and also had a licence for a personal weapon. The reason why the police firearm had not been lodged on completion of duty, as is standard procedure, is not yet known, the police statement added.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday Shemeka Jones, Garraway’s girlfriend said that he left home around 10 am on Sunday to play cricket in the National Park. Jones said he was with some 13 persons and after they had finished playing cricket around 5 pm, they went to a pools shop in Kitty. Jones said that following a few games of pools, they moved over to the Garnett Street location.
Jones said around four of the 13 persons who had gone to play cricket went into to bar and were drinking.
She said that just before 11 pm, Garraway went outside after complaining of feeling unwell and slept for a short while on his motorcycle, until one of his cousins went outside to check on him.
The man’s cousin woke him up and he was proceeding back inside the bar, when he bumped into a female connected to the policeman. Jones said Garraway apologized, but the woman went inside and called out the policeman.
Jones said the policeman confronted Garraway and chucked him, causing Garraway’s glass of rum to fall on the ground. She alleged that the policeman then advanced to Garraway and shot him in the abdomen and as he fell to the ground, pumped more bullets into him.
Jones said she tried desperately to get her boyfriend to the hospital, but several drivers refused to take him saying that they didn’t want blood in their vehicles. Eventually she got one, but the young man breathed his last before getting to the hospital.
A senior police officer told this newspaper that the policeman claimed he was being attacked from behind and when he whipped out his service revolver and tried to shoot Garraway, he ended up hitting himself. The senior officer said the policeman’s version of how he was injured did not seem logical and a thorough investigation would be conducted.
Meanwhile, Jones and Garraway’s friends who witnessed the shooting said that at no time did Garraway put up a fight with the policeman. They said the policeman confronted Garraway, chucked him and then shot him, which caused him to collapse. “He never tried to do him anything this is a whole mek up story he now giving,” Jones said.
Stabroek News was unable to speak to the policeman yesterday, but a source close to him said the policeman has alleged that Garraway sexually assaulted the woman. The source admitted that the policeman overreacted, but said it was normal for someone to get angry under such circumstances. Garraway’s relatives said they would fight for justice. “We ain’t taking it lightly something has to come out of this… it is downright murder,” one of the dead man’s sisters said. Garraway, a barber attached to GeeQu barbershop on South Road was described as pleasant hard working. His siblings said he was an easygoing person. He leaves to mourn his mother Shauldaline Garra-way, his father who resides overseas and eight siblings.
