The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday finally broke its silence on an incident on Monday where special branch ranks opened fire on a cop in a case of mistaken identity.
The incident which saw silence from the police for five days has raised questions about the quality of the GPF’s intelligence and conditions under which firearms are used. Though the cop was not injured, the firing at the car could have had serious consequences for him and bystanders.
In a release yesterday, the GPF confirmed that an investigation is currently underway by its internal affairs body, the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) into the shooting at Sergeant Ronald Payne of the Providence Police Station by five ranks attached to the Special Branch.
The incident occurred at Republic Park, East Bank Demerara, on the night of March 11. According to the GPF release the ranks pursued Payne to the Providence Police Station and were subsequently placed under close arrest. Their firearms were seized.
The release stated that the Special Branch ranks consisting of a sergeant, a corporal, a lance corporal, and two constables, were at the time of the incident assisting Regional Division #3 ranks in the investigation of a robbery/murder, and were on the lookout for a dark-coloured Toyota Rumion car that the suspects had used as a getaway vehicle.
Head of the GPF’s Corporate Communications Unit, Mark Ramotar, confirmed yesterday that the robbery/murder is the one that occurred on Monday, March 11, where a security guard, Paul Waterman of Tuschen, employed by Sheriff Security Service, was shot dead during a scuffle with one of the two bandits at the People’s Supermarket located at Lot ‘F’ New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara.
At the time of the special branch operations, Sergeant Payne was driving home from work in his dark-coloured Toyota Rumion at around 22.10 hours, when he was stopped by the ranks, who fired warning shots and ordered him to stop. The sergeant, who was unaware that the ranks were special branch operatives, became frightened and drove to the Providence Police Station.
It is reported that the ranks also went to the Providence Police Station and were subsequently placed under close arrest. Their firearms were seized. The crime scene technicians have so far processed the scene and recovered several spent shells. The police Ballistics Department is examining the shells and firearms. No injury or property damage was reported during the incident.
