A remanded prisoner succumbed yesterday morning, hours after he was brutally chopped during an altercation with four other inmates at the Lusignan Prison and the suspects have since been identified.
Dead is Shawn Peters, 40. He was admitted to prison on August 3rd after he was charged with simple larceny.
Peters sustained chops about his body including his head, chest, hands and feet. He was taken to the prison medical outpost where he was examined and referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH). There, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Peters succumbed to his injuries around 10.45 am yesterday.
Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels yesterday confirmed the incident which occurred around 10.50 pm on Monday. Samuels said that the suspects were identified with the aid of CCTV footage.
According to Samuels, Peters was being held in the isolation unit of the prison and was only transferred to the Holding Bay on Monday afternoon. “There he was identified and subsequently attacked by four other prisoners with whom he had had altercations outside the prison walls,” Samuels said.
However, the police in a separate statement said investigations revealed that Peters was in Holding Bay Two while the suspects were in Holding Bay One.
On Monday night, the police said Peters and the suspects were involved in a heated argument during which he allegedly scaled the fence which separates the two bays.
As a result, a fight ensued between Peters and the suspects during which he was chopped.
The incident prompted authorities to conduct a search at the facility during which a number of improvised weapons, including the suspected murder weapons were found.
A total of 111 improvised weapons and 9 cellular phones were discovered during the search.
The incident has once again raised concerns about the safety of inmates and security at the prisons, particularly the Lusignan facility, which has been the scene of a number of serious crimes.
Just over one month ago, there was unrest at the Lusignan Prison during which a number of prisoners allegedly set fire to a wooden building which housed approximately 185 to 190 prisoners. The building also housed the administrative office and kitchen. It was made of mostly wood and was in existence for a number of years. The names of eight inmates, who were deemed masterminds of the unrest were passed on to the police but to date no charges have been laid.
Samuels had told a press conference that a preliminary investigation found that the seizure of contraband items, including marijuana, from an inmate and the assault of another by prison officers triggered the unrest.
