Although no suspects have been identified and no recent arrests made, the police investigation of the gunning down of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing is still very much active, according to senior police officials.
Commander of ‘A’ Division Clifton Hicken yesterday said that while no one is in custody, the investigation is ongoing. Crime Chief Leslie James had given a similar comment on Monday when this newspaper spoke with him.
It has been three weeks since the murder and police have little to show for their efforts since then. All the leads they said they were following provided nothing useful.
The Guyana Times reported yesterday that two men who were charged on Monday with impersonating police to stage a robbery at a roadblock, were suspected to be involved in Crum-Ewing’s murder. A senior police official, however, insisted that lawmen had no such information, while noting that investigators were still trying to ascertain the person/s responsible.
The report suggested that the .32 weapon and ammunition which were found in the Diamond, East Bank Demerara house where the men were arrested were going to be tested for ballistic evidence. However, the police official explained that ballistic tests are conducted on all recovered weapons to ascertain whether they were used in any recent crimes. He said in the case of the weapon found at Diamond, a similar procedure will be followed. He also said it would not be a case where the tests will be centred on linking the weapon to Crum-Ewing’s murder.
It is unclear whether ballistics tests on the spent shells recovered at the murder scene have been completed.
The house where the men were found is located more than a dozen streets away from the murder scene. Several persons from the Diamond area had been detained in the initial stages of investigations but they were all released.
Crum-Ewing, 40, was shot dead while urging persons to vote on the night of March 10th, at Diamond Housing Scheme. Police initially said a car with four men drove up and discharged shots at him and then drove off.
Persons have linked Crum-Ewing’s murder to his political activism, saying it was most likely he was targeted by persons who made threats to his life after he refused to end his open criticism of the government.
For weeks, he had staged a one-man picket outside the office of Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall over statements the AG had made in a recording that was made public last year. It was as a result of this protest action that he said he was threatened.
Meanwhile, his mother, Donna Harcourt, yesterday revealed that a few days ago ranks visited her home and revealed that they were making some headway. They, however, did not provide any details.
The woman strongly believes that the starting point for investigators is the two government officials who her son claimed had threatened him.
She vowed that she will continue her ongoing picketing in front of Nandlall’s office in honour of her murdered son because she feels that this is the only way she will “get to see justice.” Harcourt said that the picketing exercises will be held every working day until election day on May 11. She said that even if it is only she and her husband on the picket line, she does not mind.
