Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) retired Justice Cecil Kennard has completed his review of the Adrian Bishop shooting death case and has since made his recommendations.
Contacted yesterday, Kennard told Stabroek News that by today the file will be leaving his office for the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions. He opted to refrain from revealing information on the recommendations he has made in respect of the matter.
Bishop was fatally shot on September 20, after a physical confrontation with his girlfriend, who is a policewoman, led to the intervention of other lawmen.
Police had said in a press release a few hours after the shooting that at about 8 pm, ranks of a mobile police patrol responded to a report received from a policewoman that a suspect who was wanted for armed robbery had assaulted her.
“The police, accompanied by the reporter, went to Hill Street, Albouystown, where the suspect Adrian Bishop of Garnett Street, Kitty, was pointed out to them. Adrian Bishop was informed of the allegation against him and was arrested and placed into the police vehicle,” the release said.
It was stated that while being transported to the police station, Bishop attempted to relieve an armed policeman of his shotgun and during the ensuing struggle a round was discharged and struck him to his neck. Bishop was later pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Residents have since dismissed the police’s account as inaccurate, saying that Bishop had no weapon, did not put up any resistance and that the policeman pointed the gun at him before pulling the trigger. He sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead.
Following the shooting the force’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) conducted an investigation and forwarded the file to Kennard for his input. However the post-mortem examination report and the ballistics expert’s report were not included. Kennard had to write to the police requesting the documents which he had said where essential for him to make his recommendations.
