A post-mortem examination conducted on the body of Shane Hinds, who was fatally shot by police last week, found yesterday that he was shot seven times and that his death was as a result of blood poisoning due to the lodged bullets.
Hinds, 27, of Lot 193 Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, was shot by police on August 10 on Thomas Street. He was admitted as a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital but subsequently succumbed to injuries on Wednesday.
The dead man’s sister, Natasha Fraser, said that the post-mortem was conducted by Pathologist Nehaul Singh, who said that Hinds had suffered seven gunshot wounds across his body and some of the bullets remained lodged in the body.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud had said that Hinds was suspected to have been involved in a robbery. He said information so far received has indicated that Hinds was in the company of another man, who has not yet been identified by police. Efforts made yesterday to contact Persaud for an update into the matter proved futile.
According to the police, around 7 pm on August 10, ranks of a mobile police patrol observed two men on a motor cycle, CG 1755, trailing a motor car along Thomas Street.
The police said that they “challenged” the two men, whereupon the rider opened fire with a small firearm on the police, who returned fire, hitting Hinds, the pillion rider. The rider escaped on the bike after Hinds was shot, the police reported.
Stabroek News yesterday spoke with an outraged aunt of the dead man, Vanessa Christopher, who said that although police have told the family they have not received information of who the rider of the motorcycle is, the bike was seen at the Eve Leary Police Station. When asked about this, she explained, police have told them that “they just got the bike.”
“This thing is really confusing. If they ain’t got a name and don’t know who the person is then how they get the bike at the station?” the woman questioned.
Christopher told this newspaper that the police have since relayed that her nephew was wanted in connection with a series of crimes and added that she was told a wanted bulletin was put out for him. However, the family had been unaware of this.
She stated that family members were told that on the night of the incident, Hinds and the rider of the motorcycle were seen trailing the vehicle of a popular businessman which was at the time being driven by his wife.
“How could you shoot someone over a dozen times for trailing a car?
And the rider, the one who woulda been doing the trailing, didn’t get hit,” the man’s aunt noted. The woman said that the man in whose company her nephew was in was known to be a childhood friend whom he was very close with for several years. She said they have since provided the police with is basic information.
According to her, the Tuesday prior to his death, Hinds had come out of the coma he had been in and was showing slight responses with his eyes and one of his arms.
She explained that most of the bullets were lodged in his left arm and had damaged several arteries, resulting in his being unable to move the limb.
“He was responding, just not talking. The doctor was always looking at Shane and de tell me that he was making great improvement.
The day before he died, the doctor was preparing to take him off the life support in a few days because he was breathing 50% on his own… his lungs and kidney was damaged and he had a bullet lodged in his neck,” Christopher stated. With regards to the bullet to his neck, she explained that the doctors had said that it was in a critical position and as such, they would have no other option but to wait until it shifts.
“Today (Friday) they were supposed to take him off of the life support machine and take him out of the ICU. Only Tuesday the doctor said ‘I have some great news for you’ that my nephew is recuperating really great,” she added, noting that the family, after learning of Hinds’ death, was stunned.
