President Irfaan Ali this morning urged protesting East Coast residents to “stick to the facts” and not be misled by social media postings or information that is unverified as he assured that an impartial investigation is continuing into the police shooting to death of Quinton Bacchus earlier this month.
The President’s urgings were made on his Facebook page as hundreds of East Coast residents, mainly from Golden Grove and surrounding villages, took to the main public road that leads to Georgetown blocking it and lighting fires at some junctures. Bacchus, 23, a father of one, was shot by a policeman on June 10 at Haslington New Scheme, East Coast Demerara. The protest commenced following reports that the policeman accused of pulling the trigger was released from custody.
“For example what triggered this is a news item that the police who was implicated in this [the killing] was released. That very news agency I have seen now has apologized for that misleading piece. They have apologized for putting the wrong information out there as this is far from the truth,” the President said this morning.
The police this morning also denied the report.
In a statement, it said: “The Guyana Police Force is cognizant that there is a blockage of a section of the East Coast of Demerara road in the vicinity of Golden Grove which is disrupting the flow of traffic. The GPF is urging persons to desist from this illegal act and clear the roadway.
“The GPF would like to (debunk) the false claims being made that the policeman involved in the shooting death of Quindon Bacchus was released from police custody.
“In fact, the police rank in question is under open arrest and confined to Police Headquarters. The matter is still under investigation”.
The President revealed that not only the police officer accused of pulling the trigger is in custody but a second officer is also in custody assisting with the investigation.
He said it is a matter in which the policeman is accused of using excessive force and he said based on the law and in order to ensure an impartial investigation the necessary sections of the constitution provide for the Police Complaints Authority to supervise the investigation in conjunction with the police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and this must kick in.
“I am advised that that process has commenced and the process has made tremendous progress I am further advised that very early in the new week the Police Complaints Authority,…would be in a position to provide a finding based on the investigation to the DPP,” Ali said.
Stressing that the system must be allowed to work, the President said that Chairman of the complaints authority, retired Justice William Ramlal, has indicated that by Monday he would be in a position to provide his report to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
He said that there is no basis for the protest on the road that is being seen and called on the residents to go home clear the road way.
“All of us want justice, all of us want fairness but we cannot base our actions on misleading information,” he said.
The Police Complaints Authority also issued a statement after midday today calling for calm as it wraps up its investigation. It said that a thorough probe is necessary.
Bacchus was shot on June 10th by a policeman.
Up to 10 am today the protestors continued to block the road at various points and some have stated their intention to march to Georgetown.
The protest which started just around 7 am was being conducted in an orderly manner but took a turn when residents moved to block the road with wood and other items.
Bacchus was laid to rest on Sunday.
Among those stranded are students and workers who were travelling to work this morning. Some persons had to disembark the vehicles they were travelling in and walk to the other side of the protest.
The Guyana Police Force, in a statement, had claimed that Bacchus was fatally shot during a gunfight with an undercover policeman to whom he had trying to sell an illegal firearm.
An autopsy later showed that Bacchus died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. The police later referred the case file to the Police Complaints Authority.
