A man who said he was on the roof of a Carifesta Avenue building on March 15 at the time that three men were shot by the police along the seawall has given an account of the events that differs from the version provided by law enforcers.
Devon Lyte has given a sworn statement and appeared at a press conference this midday with attorney Nigel Hughes to say what he saw from the roof of the Guyana Softball Association building on Carifesta Avenue where he was working. This afternoon, Lyte visited police headquarters. The police in a subsequent statement said “About 16:45h. today Mr. Devon Lyte went to the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, Eve Leary in company of Attorney at Law Mr. Nigel Hughes, where he submitted a copy of the statement, which he issued earlier to the Crime Chief Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Williams.
“During this process it was discussed and agreed for Devon Lyte to return tomorrow to be interviewed by a Senior Detective in the presence of his Attorney”.
Lyte said that just before midday on the day in question, he heard a banging sound coming from the seawall and when he looked up he saw that the police had blocked off the road from the top of Camp Road. He said that he then heard shots and saw two cars driving along the seawall road. A black car was in front being followed by a silver-coloured car (the unmarked police car). Based on the police’s version there should have been three vehicles at this point. Contrary to the police’s statement, he is saying that he saw no motorbike at the scene. The police had said that the third man killed had been on a motorbike.
The man’s account stated that shots were coming from the silver car. The black vehicle in front stopped and he saw one person come out from that car and stand at the driver’s door. He then saw one person alight from the silver car and walk towards the black car. He said he then saw the person from the silver car begin to beat the person who had came out of the black car and this person was now lying on the ground. He said this person was beaten while still on the ground.
Twenty minutes later, he said that he heard rapid gunfire. At the time he heard the rapid gunfire there was one person standing over the same person who was lying on the ground.
He said that 10 to 15 minutes after the shooting, policemen from Camp Road started to run up the seawall road and there was a photographer with them. He said there were two other workers with him at the time on the roof.
Based on the police version, Dextroy Cordis, 46, called “Dottie” of Lot 4 Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara; Kwame Assanah, a former soldier, of Buxton, East Coast Demerara and Errol Adams, 57, called ‘Dynamite,’ of Dart-mouth, Essequibo Coast and also Buxton were killed while engaging the police during the commission of a robbery.
Relatives of two of the men have challenged the police version.