Wismar resident Randy Tello, who was shot in the face by police on Tuesday evening, has been accused of throwing missiles at security forces but his family says he is being framed.
Tello, 25, of Wismar Housing Scheme Extension is currently a patient at the Linden Hospital Complex, where he is listed as being in stable condition although medical staff and the man’s family are concerned about the extensive bleeding from the wound.
Tello, police said yesterday, was among a group of men who threw missiles at the vehicle and ranks of a Joint Services mobile patrol at One Mile, Wismar, around 9:20pm on Tuesday. Police said that the Joint Services ranks pursued the men and caught up with Tello.
They added that during efforts to arrest him, a rubber bullet was discharged by a police rank that struck Tello to the left side of his face. A knife and a quantity of marijuana were found in his possession, police also said.
Tello was asleep during Stabroek News’ visit to hospital yesterday afternoon, but a relative of the man who was on his way to visit him accused the police of trying to frame him.
He said that Tello told him that he was heading home alone when he was shot. “He said it was he alone going home and because how they [the police] out deh harassing people fuh no reason, people got to be scared when deh see dem,” the man said, adding that the claims of his cousin being found with drugs and a knife were clearly fabricated.
Relatives are also upset at the way Tello was handled by the police. According to them, he was dropped off by the police “like a pig” at the hospital, with no information given to the medical staff.
Meanwhile, despite ongoing efforts by the security forces to keeps the streets of Wismar clear, residents there and to a lesser extent Amelia’s Ward continued to pose a challenge yesterday.
While the police presence at Mackenzie is sparse, they continue to be out in large numbers at Wismar. “You should hear how deh begging we fuh stay home but dis is we struggle and we holding out,” said one Wismar resident.
“We know every night deh gon shoot we; every night deh gon treat we like dis place under siege but we in it fuh deh long haul,” said another.
Yesterday residents were out at Amelia’s Ward in their numbers with placards as they maintained protest actions. There were also reports of at least two streets in the area being blocked.
At Wismar, residents also continued to converge in large numbers at strategic points along the Winifred Gaskin Highway.
