(Department of Public Information)
– 16:45- The Director of Prison, Gladwyn Samuels, is informed of
disturbance at Georgetown Prison.
– Samuels is informed that an officer is being held hostage and that
there are sounds of gunshots within the prison
– Two locations of the prison are set ablaze simultaneously; the Strong
Cell Division and the Wooden Prison/Condemn Division
– A total of five prisoners are observed leaving the prison.
– The Guyana Fire Service is contacted and responds. Fires are observed
at four (4) locations within the prison complex- Fire Chief Marlon Gentle
– The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are activated. The various
Joint-Services are contacted and respond.
– Eight (8) persons from the prison are transferred to the Georgetown
Public Hospital (GPHC) receive medical attention at, seven (7) of whom are
Prison Officers
– The Guyana Fire Service arrives on scene with two (2) fire tenders,
but the fires quickly spread to other parts of the prison compound
– With the assistance of the other agencies, the Prison Officials
activated the emergency evacuation procedure as fires spread.
– Guyana Fire Service dispatches more fire tenders to the scene
– Groups of prisoners are brought out from inside the prison. Some are
placed to sit on Camp Street and others inside the Prison Officer Club.
– 18:35 hrs- Several prisoners, being held in the Prison Officers Club,
set fire to the building. The burning building is evacuated Prisoners are
moved on to the roadway at the corners of Camp and Bent Streets.
– Security Forces expand cordons around scene.
– Guyana Water Inc. disconnects water supplies to some parts of
Georgetown to increase water pressure around Georgetown Prisons to assist
in fire fighting efforts.
– Security officials begin transporting prisoners to the Lusignan Prison
on the East Coast of Demerara via trucks, and buses.
– Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence arrives at the GPHC, actives
emergency procedures, and updates media on persons admitted and extent of
injuries. Public reassured that all measures are in place to deal with mass
casualties if necessary
– 20:00hrs-President David Granger convenes National Security meeting
– Prison Officer Odinga Wickham succumbs from his injuries. Other
wounded prison officers being treated for gunshot wounds and lacerations.
– Guyana Fire Service cancels all rotations and leave for staff. All
instructed to report to their stations.
– All of the wooden buildings in the Georgetown Prison Complex are
destroyed
– 10:45-Two press conferences are held at the National Communications
Network. They are conducted by Fire Chief Marlon Gentle, Chief Prison
Officer ag. Gladwin Samuels, Guyana Police Force Commisioner Seelall
Persaud and Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff Col ag. Nazrul Hussain. The
second is conducted by Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan.
– The mastermind of the unrest is identified as Bartica and Lusignan
massacre convict Mark Royden Durant aka Royden Williams and Smallie; and
Uree Varswyck. The other three have not been identified as yet.
– The joint services operation continues effort to recapture the escaped
prisoners.
– Members of the public are advised to take all necessary precautions as
they go about their activities. Report any suspicious activities to the
nearest police station.
– 01:50-Remanded murder accused Shawn Collins, 20, of lot 6 Ketley and
Drydales Streets who escaped whilst being transported with other prisoners
to another location is recaptured on Hadfield Street. He was not among the
five original escapees.
– Initial walk through inspection of the GT prisons conducted by
security officials, no bodies discovered so far
– Roll calls are conducted at Lusignan Prison to identify and account
for those in custody
– National Security meeting set for 12:00hrs July 10, 2017, at Camp
Ayanganna