It remains unclear whether Region Nine Regional Executive Officer (REO) Karl Singh will be facing any charges or have his firearm licence revoked following the shooting incident that took place in his vehicle on July 17, resulting in the wounding of 25-year-old Gladys Benedict.
Police Commander of Region Nine Superintendent Raphael Rose, in a recent comment, told this newspaper that he was not in a position to say what the next step of their investigation is and whether Singh’s licence will be revoked.
When asked where or who questions on the issue can be directed to, the commander said he was uncertain. However, he stated that to his knowledge, the file is still with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Earlier this month the DPP’s Chambers said that while it had the case file under review, the police had informed of Benedict’s wish not to proceed with further investigations.
Calls to Singh, who functions as the REO of Region Nine, went unanswered.
The initial police report on the incident had stated that around 11pm, at the Commercial Zone in Lethem, Singh and Benedict were in a vehicle belonging to Singh when he shot her in the abdomen.
Benedict was taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital by Singh and she immediately underwent surgery.
According to the police, Singh was subsequently arrested and escorted to the Lethem Police Station, where his licensed firearm was seized and lodged. A few days later, the police said that their investigation had revealed that the shooting was accidental. Singh who had been in police custody since his arrest, was then placed on station bail.
The REO was sent on leave pending investigations but has since returned to duty.
