Relatives of Deryck Kanhai, who died after an almost 3-hour engagement with police, are saying that many items not related to the shooting were removed by police from the 315 Middle Street residence without their permission or knowledge.
Last Tuesday, 52-year-old Kanhai, for unknown reasons, went on a crazed shooting spree at the Middle Street residence. When it ended, five people were dead including him. His initial targets were employees of a taxi service which operated from the bottom flat of his residence and a resident of the area, but he also killed
two of the more than scores of police officers who converged on the scene of the shooting.
He died of a gunshot wound although police are yet to say if they were the ones who shot him or if he took his own life. Police are still attempting to ascertain what triggered Kanhai’s behaviour.
Meanwhile, Kanhai’s relatives are saying that several items which had nothing to do Tuesday’s shooting were removed from the residence.
When contacted at his office yesterday Police Public Relations Officer Ivelaw Whittaker said that as far as he knew no official report had been made about the loss of any items. He said this newspaper’s query was the first he was hearing of the issue.
Kanhai’s brother, Aubrey Kanhai, told Stabroek News that he had raised an eyebrow at the police’s behaviour the very night the shooting occurred.
He explained that while he was speaking to Assistant Commissioner of Police George Vyphius, who coordinated the police’ activities, he noticed that ranks were climbing a fence to enter the first and second floor of the building because the ground floor entrances were locked.
He said he questioned the police’s actions and told Vyphius that he had keys for the entrances and could have opened up for the police to get into the building.
Stabroek News was on the scene for some time after the shooting stopped and observed that several police ranks, including one who was taking photographs, gained access to the top floor of the building.
Aubrey Kanhai said that on receiving permission he entered the building with police officers, as the force’s investigative department was desirous of carrying out investigations on the second and third floors of the building.
He said that a senior officer, after learning that he had a shotgun of his own in his room, asked to see the weapon, explaining that he would need to take it for ballistics testing.
He said he opened the door to show the officer the weapon, and locked it again after the officer told him that he was not ready to take the weapon.
Several minutes later, he said, he was surprised when he went back to his room and discovered that it had been broken into.
He said when he checked around his room, two gold rings, three cellphones and the shotgun were gone.
He added that $40,000, which was in the pocket of a shirt in his wardrobe were also missing.
He said he later discovered that several items were also taken from his brother’s (Deryck Kanhai) room; these included a laptop, several pieces of jewellery and several iPods. The man said he made complaints to the police who took statements and have indicated that they will look into the case of the missing items.
Meanwhile, tenants who share the building with the Kanhai family have also claimed that the police removed their possessions.
The bottom flat of the Kanhai residence is home to what used to be a salon, and the still functioning Crown Cabs Taxi Service.
The proprietor of the salon has accused police of removing a large sum of cash from the premises without her consent, knowledge or an explanation.
The woman told this newspaper that she had a bag with over $100,000 in a cupboard under the mirror in her salon; money she recently received from “throwing box”.
When the shooting started, the woman said, she and a female customer were inside the salon but ran for cover to the nearby Balwant Singh Hospital.
After the shooting, she said, she tried to go back to retrieve her bag but was prevented from doing so by a police officer, who told her that she could not enter the crime scene.
The woman said that as she was pleading with the officer to allow her to get her bag she noticed the door to the cupboard open and saw someone remove the bag.
She said she could not see who removed the money because inside the building was very dark and there were many police officers in what used to be her salon.
When she was finally allowed into the building, she said, she could not point out the officer who removed her money.
“I was telling them all the time. I know I have money in there and I know they would have done that, this is what the police does do, they does come fuh do one thing then come to do something else,” she said.
Further, the owner of the Crown Cabs taxi service said the police on Tuesday removed the cellphone of Vanessa Williams, the Crown Cabs dispatcher who was fatally shot on Tuesday, and $7,000, which belonged to the taxi service.
He said while the police instructed the Kanhais to make a report about their missing items, he, despite making a report, has not been asked to do the same.
Such claims have been made against ranks of the Guyana Police Force on previous occasions, although persons who have made the claims have seen very little relief.
