The police have been directed to conduct further investigations into the killing of teenager Rockey Sawh, who was allegedly accidentally shot by his friend during a sleepover in Kitty more than a week ago.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean said that a case file was prepared and sent to the DPP’s Chambers for legal advice on the way forward.
However, he said the file was later returned to the police with a recommendation for further investigations to be conducted.
Among the additional work that the police were asked to conduct was the preparation of a probation report on the suspect.
“We were directed to conduct some further investigation which we are doing and that includes a probation report that has to be part of our file,” McBean said.
Fifteen-year-old Sawh of David Street, Kitty was said to have been accidentally shot by the suspect, who is a close friend, during the sleepover on Sandy Babb Street, Kitty last Tuesday.
Sawh was shot once in his head during the incident which occurred sometime between 7pm and 8pm. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where he was admitted as a patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Sawh succumbed around 5.30pm the following day.
McBean had said that investigations revealed that Sawh and the 17-year-old suspect were present at the suspect’s Sandy Babb Street home, when the suspect allegedly accidentally shot Sawh in his head.
The wound was inflicted with a gun belonging to the suspect’s father, who is a licensed firearm holder.
The police had said that the suspect accessed the firearm by breaching the lock of a wardrobe in which it was stored.
Following the incident, the suspect was arrested. However, he was released on $100,000 station bail last Friday after his 72 hours detention period expired.
Peace of mind
Meanwhile, Sawh’s family is still trying to come with grips with his death.
While the family continues to call for justice, they are also still seeking answers about what took place on the night leading up to the shooting.
The main question which they have is why it took hours before Sawh was taken to the hospital.
Anjani Gomes, Sawh’s grandmother yesterday told Stabroek News that the family will have peace of mind about the situation if the suspect’s parents reach out to them.
“To be honest, we hoping for some justice so that we can get lil peace of mind….All we asking fah is lil justice. Reach out to the parents. Reach out to Rockey mother and father and let them get lil peace in their mind….They didn’t reach out, they didn’t speak to her and it really hurting her, very much,” Gomes said.
She explained that Sawh’s mother, Amrita Panday is finding it hard to accept that her son’s life could have been saved if had been taken earlier to the hospital.
“To be honest, the mother (Sawh’s) doesn’t have anything against the child (the suspect) but it’s the parents. She feel that the mother could have done better. At least reached out to her, help her son the very night. I mean she would have feel please if she did go and see she son and know he get help from the beginning. So that is what really hurting her a lot,” Gomes added.
Doctors reportedly related to Panday that if Sawh was taken to the hospital immediately after the incident, efforts could have been made to save his life.
Panday had previously told this newspaper that she was made to understand that her son was only taken to the hospital about three to four hours after the incident.
She further related that she was told that after the incident, the suspect telephoned his mother, who travelled from West Bank Demerara and reportedly took him away from the scene.
In a recent Facebook post, Panday called on the suspect’s family to provide answers. “We want answers. This can’t go down so easily. We want them to come forward with the truth so I can get peace as a mother,” the post read.
“They were best friends, grew up together … Onto this day, nobody from the family spoke to me, explained what happened to my son. All I want is justice for my son..,” Panday said.
