A journalist has called attention to the questionable conduct of the first responders at the accident scene of cyclist Suresh Khellowan, who succumbed after crashing on the turn of the Russian Embassy, Kitty Byways early yesterday morning.
Also being called into question is the accident report that surfaced from the Guyana Police Force outlining the circumstances of the accident.
A Division Commander Leslie James, when contacted for a comment last evening, said that he had not received any such report. However, this information was subsequently supplied to the Commander, who could not be reached later to respond to the claims.
This newspaper was privy to correspondences confirming that reports were also made to Kitty police, who are investigating the matter, on the conduct of the officers.
According to a police press release, Khellowan, 22, was proceeding west along the Kitty Public Road at a fast rate when he collided with the guard rail at the turn of the Russian Embassy around 3am yesterday morning. It was stated that he was not wearing a helmet at the time.
The statement related that Khellowan was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. However, an eyewitness is disputing the report issued by the police, including the time of the accident.
According to the witness, the accident took place just after 2am. For about two hours thereafter, Khellowan’s body lay on the roadway before being taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
This was supported by information from the Lyken Funeral Parlour, whose representative related that they received the call for the body to be removed at 3:19 am, and the hearse left the parlour at 3:55am.
Nearly every significant occurrence of yesterday’s event was photo documented by the reporter, the information corroborated by the time stamps on the photos.
It was reported that the first photo was taken at 2:22am, about 8-10 minutes after the impact.
“…it wasn’t even the impact first; it was a grazing sound,” they described, explaining what had alerted them to the accident. “…What was happening was that the bike was skidding on the road. So I got up right away and looked out and then there was the loud impact,” they related.
It was reported to this newspaper that a few minutes after the accident occurred, police arrived at the scene, followed by an ambulance shortly afterward. The ambulance reportedly parked a few feet away, but no one exited. By this time, the reporter had been on scene.
“Just as I got downstairs and I got the door open, a police pickup, blue and white, pulled up alongside the body, parked in front of it eventually. They came out, looked on the body. They walked towards the bike, they went near the bag that was on the ground, they went near the helmet that was there as well. Passed back by the body. An ambulance pulled up…within 3 minutes of the pickup…they parked next to the body, more in the roadway, then drove back in the opposite direction on the curve…” the witness recalled.
It was noted that there appeared to be no attempt to examine the body or check for a pulse. “The way they operated was as if there was no effort to save life,” they opined.
“Then the police left, the ambulance people stayed in their bus up the road and residents came and they were plundering the scene. They were all over the man and the bike. The road. The people were literally standing, legs apart. One woman standing over the man, hovering over his body; one foot on the left, one on the right. She up in his face. People were pulling to see if his arm broken…” it was related. It was further alleged that afterward, at about 2:28am, another police vehicle arrived, and the officers declared that there was nothing that could be done at that point. This second wave of police consisted of several cars that pulled up to the scene one after the other. It was claimed that according to the group, the first responders had made no reports to them about the accident. Yet again, they were followed by another ambulance, which gave leave to the first that had been parked at the scene.
“Amazingly, it’s the second ambulance technicians that came out, checked the man’s pulse and everything. They checked the right side of his neck, just under his neck, and then they checked his left index finger with the clamp…” He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was reported that at around 4:36 am, although the hearse had arrived, the body had still not been removed, and police were taking measurements at the scene.
“They have not written down anything yet. They didn’t write, not even in their hand,” it was reported.
It was claimed that the officers took no notes, and although it was supposed that the victim died on location, there was no effort to maintain the integrity of the crime scene, as at least one item was removed by an officer with his bare hands and placed into his pocket.
“…They abandoned the scene. They made no effort to save life. They did not make any report. They did not preserve the evidence, and then they sent out a press release with … misinformation.”
