Cecil Sampat, one of two civilians shot following a police chase through the city nearly two weeks ago, died on Wednesday at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
Erica Tullaram, a sister of the deceased, told Stabroek News that her brother died while in a critical state in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) at the hospital.
Tullaram said yesterday she provided a statement to the police as well as to the hospital.
She also mentioned that acting Police Commiss-ioner Nigel Hoppie told her that the police are doing everything in their power to get to the bottom of what transpired. She said he also assured her that justice will prevail.
A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place today.
Sampat, 39, was described as a jovial, loving and law-abiding citizen.
He was employed with John Fernandes Company for 21 years, before meeting his demise.
Providing an update on Winston Fraser, 27, the other man shot in the melee, GPH’s Com-munications Manager Chelauna Providence said he was not considered critical but still needed to be hospitalised and monitored.
It was noted that he has a bullet lodged in his spine.
When contacted by Stabroek News, Commiss-ioner Hoppie said the case is currently under investigation and the police are working to bring the investigation to a close.
In an incident report seen by this newspaper, police have claimed that around 1.30am on Saturday, July 25, three police officers on patrol observed a large gathering at the junction of Agricola Road and the East Bank Highway. The officers approached the crowd and requested that they disperse. It was during the dispersal that police witnessed a fight between two men, one of whom whipped out a gun and pointed it in the direction of the other while trying to make his escape in a car bearing registration number PYY 4432.
As a result, the police say one of the ranks sent out a transmission over the force network while they chased after the vehicle. The pursuit took them through South Ruimveldt, Cemetery Road, Hadfield Street and Vlissengen Road. While on Vlissengen Road, the vehicle the ranks were in developed mechanical problems and they lost sight of the car.
The report further stated that other patrols were dispatched and proceeded to locate the car involved. Police in the patrol vehicle said to have been experiencing mechanical problems continued the pursuit based on a transmission sent out by another police patrol vehicle, which led them to D’Urban Street and Mandela Avenue. It was said by the officers in the first patrol vehicle that when they arrived at the scene, the four occupants of the car they were pursuing, were lying on the ground. According to the report, several other GPF patrol vehicles were also at the scene.
The report did not state when or how the men were shot but that two men who were injured were escorted to the hospital by the police.
The two injured men nursing gunshot wounds to their backs, were identified as Fraser and Sampat.
Fraser suffered a gunshot wound to his upper back, while Sampat, who was said to be a passenger of the car seated at the left side of the backseat, suffered three gunshot wounds to his lower back.
The report also stated that two holes were seen in the back of the driver’s seat and three holes in the backseat of the car. One live .38 round of ammunition was said to have been found on the floor of the car. However, no firearm was found. The report also stated that Mandela Avenue as well as D’Urban Street were checked for anything suspicious but “nothing of evidential value was seen”.
The other two occupants of the car were 22-year-old Joshua Letlow, of East Ruimveldt, and 23-year-old Seon Greenidge, a block maker. Greenidge was said to be a passenger in the front seat of the car, and also one of the two men who were involved in the altercation at Agricola Road.
Letlow and Greenidge, who were interviewed, stated according to the report that they and the injured occupants of the car were drinking at Agricola Road. According to the men, Greenidge and another man ended up in a fight, during which time, the police, who arrived in a white car, asked those at the gathering to leave. The report stated that the men said when they were in the vicinity of Houston, they observed the patrol car following them, which led Fraser to drive faster. After a chase through several areas in Georgetown, the men noted that they saw the same white police patrol car along with two other police pickups pursuing them. They men recounted that soon after they heard loud explosions similar to that of gunshots behind them after which Fraser and Sampat said they were both hit. Fraser drove the car for a little bit more before coming to a stop at Mandela Avenue and D’Urban Street.
Fraser’s and Sampat’s hands were swabbed for gunshot residue.
While one source within the police force related to this newspaper that 14 to 17 ranks were detained, another source had said that the figure has since increased.
Previously, only three police officers were listed as being under close arrest. They are Corporal 19899 Cort, Constable 21499 St. Louis, and Constable 21447 Prince.
Hoppie was unable to provide an update on their status.
