Self-confessed `death squad’ member Shawn Hinds is still not cooperating with police, according to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum who yesterday said that a copy of the interview he did with HPGTV Nightly News has been handed over to the police.
Up to early last evening, police investigators were still looking at the footage.
Contacted yesterday for an update on Hinds, Blanhum said that he remains in police custody. “He is still in custody. Today he was further interviewed (but) he is not cooperating with police”, he told Stabroek News.
Asked what is the next available option given that Hinds is not cooperating, Blanhum insisted that “we (the police) will continue questioning him”. The 72 hours to keep him in custody will expire tomorrow just after lunch.
On Monday, about a week after being interviewed by Nightly News reporter Travis Chase, Hughes went to CID Headquarters, Eve Leary in the company of attorney at law Nigel Hughes. He was immediately arrested.
Hinds had spoken to the newscast over fears that attempts were being made to link him to the murder of Courtney Crum-Ewing. Police have denied this saying that the man was wanted in connection with a different “serious offence”. Given the content of the interview police have also said that they want to gather more information from him about the things he had said.
While openly admitting his involvement in the underworld, Hinds during the interview revealed that he had gone to CID headquarters in the past to collect weapons for use by members of the death squad and also that police were responsible for the killing of political activist Ronald Waddell. With regards to Waddell he had placed two policemen in a car around the time that gunfire erupted. He identified one of those persons as retired assistant commissioner Steve Merai. Merai subsequently told Stabroek News that he wished not to comment on the matter except to say that he had confidence that the police will investigate and clear his name. He said too that he prefers to give the police a chance to do their work before he comments.
Blanhum said that he could not reply to the revelation made with respect to the police until he sees the video.
Stabroek News has been told that ranks were questioning Hinds specifically about his admission during a televised interview that he was involved in a death squad that was responsible for the murders of criminals during the crime spree that gripped the country after the 2002 Mash Day jailbreak.
