Linden men shot dead by Police laid to rest amid continuing calls for justice

Their silver-grey coloured caskets laid side by side at the popular 4 corner in Half Mile Wismar in Linden, as families and friends gathered, cried and eulogized the lives of 21-year-old Ronaldo Peters and 32-year-old Keon Fogenay on Sunday. The two were friends died hours apart, both at the hands of the Police.

Mourners wore black and red as a protest against the Police shooting deaths. Peters was shot dead by a Police Sergeant two Mondays ago after being chased down. As protest began the following day over his death, Fogenay was shot dead as he made his way home and the Police opened fire to quell the protest.

There was a collective call for justice today as the two young men were laid to rest.

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, said there is a worrying trend that has developed in Guyana with the Police killing of unarmed young men. He said it is a trend that must stop.

“One of the most important things for us to do, is to fight for justice for all of us, because the Government has the tendency of compensating, but let us be clear, you cannot compensate for life”, Norton told the large crowd.

In delivering the eulogy of Ronaldo Peters, one of his cousins remembered Ronaldo has someone who had a passion for life and was just starting to live the life he imagined and wanted for himself and family.

“Ronaldo’s life was just beginning. He started a steady job on road construction and never missed a day at work. His life was snuffed out just after he had completed his work for that day and uplifting what became his last salary. He was also sin the process of building his own house, and had already completed the foundation and was building up the walls. His dream was to complete that house to make it his home for his Ashanti and his Amara. Ronaldo was always full of life”, his cousin stated.

A relative of Keon Fogenay remembered him being a fun person, who liked to work.

“Keon was always a joyful person. He loved making jokes and interacting with family members, and he always had big people as his friends. After leaving school, he migrated to the interior to work and earn a living. Later, he would move back to Linden before eventually moving to Georgetown where he worked full time up until he was killed”, the cousin recalled.

The funeral service was conducted by Pastor Morris McKinnon, who in offering comfort to the families and the community of Linden said that though the situation is painful and hurting, the families and the community can overcome.

“It wouldn’t be easy of course because your mind will always reflect and you will always thing about this scene and the other scenes some of you saw, but I want to direct you and direct your minds to Jesus and I want you to know that Jesus ain’t done with this world”, the Pastor preached.

From Half Mile, Wismar, the hundreds of mourners made the more than one mile walk to the burial ground at Christianburg as the pall bearers carried the two caskets with the remains of the two men on their shoulders. They mourners made a brief stop in front of the Wismar Police Station, where they demanded justice again, before continuing with their march to the final resting place of Ronaldo Peters and Keon Fogenay.

It’s