The autopsy that was performed on the remains of Dameon Belgrave revealed that he died of a gunshot wound to the chest that damaged his heart, spine and ribcage, his mother, Donna Sulker, said yesterday.
Belgrave, 21, of Middle Street, Pouderoyen,
West Bank Demerara, was fatally shot at the White Castle Fish Shop on Hadfield Street, on Friday night by police who were after some boys in a car. He would have celebrated his 22nd birthday the day after his death.
Contacted, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud said that the file for the three policemen involved in the shooting had been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice and that the investigation is ongoing.
He also stated that the policemen will remain under close arrest until a decision was made by the DPP. The boys in the car being chased were also arrested and are in police custody.
A source from the DPP confirmed that the file was sent there but it was returned to the police since the investigation is incomplete.
The Alliance for Change (AFC) along with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), yesterday protested the killing of innocent people by the police while calling on Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee to step down.
The protest which took place in front of the ministry building on Camp Road saw Belgrave’s relatives condemning the police for his death.
The boy’s mother was also calling for firearms to only be issued to well-trained personnel in the police force. Sulker also said that up to yesterday no official from the Guyana Police Force had contacted her concerning her son’s death.
APNU’s Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Harmon said the policemen who are on the road carrying weapons should undergo mandatory drug testing and that the police force should be reformed so that the high level of violence that is occurring is brought to an end.
AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes said his party does not recognize Rohee as the minister and as such that position is vacant.
Meanwhile, the dead teen’s mother along with the boys who were being chased by the police had stated that the police placed the injured Belgrave in and out of the vehicle a few times before taking him to the hospital.
A practicing Georgetown Hospital physician, when asked about the manner in which the police handled the injured young man, said, “Generally the less movement of body parts should be the objective in such emergency situations.”
The doctor also added that police officers should be trained to render basic first aid to injured persons, since in most cases they are the ones to respond first in emergency situations.
When asked if the outcome might have been different if the police had handled the situation in a better way and had taken Belgrave to the hospital immediately, the doctor said, “Certainly because seconds can determine whether a person lives or dies.”
Belgrave’s death has been condemned by organizations such as the People’s Parliament and the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA).
