The policeman who has reportedly admitted to shooting Brazilian miner Estevão Costa Marques, saying he had been fired upon, yesterday refused to be placed on an identification parade.
A police source told Stabroek News that the Police Constable refused to participate in the ID parade, which was scheduled to be conducted yesterday afternoon.
The Constable and a Subordinate Officer, who were arrested after the fatal shooting, remain in custody.
The police are awaiting an autopsy report before they seek legal advice on the way forward.
The autopsy is scheduled to be conducted today.
The two ranks were among several persons who were transported to Georgetown between Sunday and Monday for questioning by ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary.
Among the other persons are Brazilian nationals and relatives of Marques, who reportedly witnessed the fatal encounter.
The Guyana Police Force, in a statement issued on Sunday, said that it was discovered that the two accused cops “abandoned” the Kurupung Police Station, to which they had been assigned, sometime on Friday morning. They left on an ATV “for patrol duties, armed with a .30 Carbine Rifle and subsequently joined a boat and proceeded to a Landing along the Puruni River.”
It noted that initial investigations revealed that the two policemen arrived at the Puruni Landing “around midday on Saturday. The Subordinate Officer claimed that he remained in the boat while the Constable armed with the rifle, exited and proceeded to a shop and shortly after two loud explosions were heard which caused him (the Subordinate Officer) to proceed to make enquiries.”
Upon enquiring, the police said that the Subordinate Officer saw the body of the Brazilian miner, later identified as Marques, 37, of Pinheiro, Maranhão, Brazil, lying on the ground.
“The Constable told him that a male (Marques) discharged a round at him and he returned fire,” the police statement explained.
It further stated that two other members of the force, a Subordinate Officer and a Detective Constable attached to the Bartica Police Station, who were in the area on duty investigating a report of alleged threats, arrived at the scene and took away the firearm which was in the possession of the Constable and alerted the Divisional Commander, Kevin Adonis.
