A man who allegedly stole items from Police Traffic Headquarters, Eve Leary died shortly after he was shot in the left thigh by a policeman during a chase which ended at Anira Street, Queenstown early yesterday morning.
Police, in a press statement said they are investigating an incident that occurred around 4.45 am at Anira Street. They said the unidentified man had stolen a windscreen off a minibus that was lodged in the compound at Police Traffic Headquarters and was subsequently shot in his left thigh by a policeman. He later died at the Georgetown Public Hospital while receiving medical attention.
Investigations, police said, revealed that the man had been seen earlier riding a bicycle in the vicinity of Traffic Headquarters. He was subsequently seen leaving the Traffic Headquarters compound with a front windscreen that had been taken off a minibus. Ranks on duty challenged him but he ran away.
The man, according to the police, was pursued and the policemen caught up with him at Anira Street, “and during efforts to arrest him he was shot to his left upper thigh by one of the ranks who was armed with a service firearm”.
The stolen windscreen was recovered along with the bicycle which was found in the Police Sports Club Ground, which is next to Traffic Headquarters. The man, police said, was of African descent, about 30 years of age, 5’ 6” in height and of medium build.
He was clad in a brown short pants and grey jersey. The body is at Lyken’s Funeral Parlour.
An Anira Street resident, who lives in the vicinity of the empty lot, recalled hearing one gunshot shortly after 5.30 am.
“I was already up and about when I heard this one gunshot,” the resident recalled. “When I peep out I see this chap lying on the ground with blood coming from his right leg…there were two policemen with him.”
The man, according to the resident, had a bag. Two screwdrivers were also removed from the man’s possession.
“Lil after the police shoot he, the ambulance show up to take he to the hospital,” the resident said.
Hospital sources said the man was bleeding profusely from his wound and died shortly after his arrival at GPH. However, the cause of death is yet to be determined.
