An 18-year-old youth who part of a protest against the elections that turned violent at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, was shot dead by the Police last evening after he reportedly chopped two police officers with a cutlass.
The dead young man has been identified as Seedat Hansraj of the same Cotton Tree village.
In a statement this morning, the Guyana Police Force explained that at around 7:40 pm on Friday, while Police Ranks were performing their duties at Cotton Tree Public Road, they came under attack by the protesters.
The Police Force said moments before the attack, a Gazetted Officer and ranks had cleared the roadway of the protesters and debris leaving Sergeant Ibaran with several ranks to maintain free passage along the corridor.
According to the Police, the ranks maintaining order were then attacked by a group of men who were armed with cutlasses and pieces of wood and iron.
Ranks discharged their weapons into the air to disperse “the very hostile and aggressive crowd”, the report said and when they ran out of ammunition, three of the ranks were forced to seek refuge in a nearby yard.
The Police Force said it was at that stage that it is alleged, the 18-year-old protester chopped Sgt. Ibaran and Constable Fraser with a cutlass.
He was attempting to chop Constable Fraser again when he was shot by one of two other ranks who had arrived at the scene and witnessed what was taking place.
The teen and the injured ranks were all taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where the teen was pronounced dead on arrival and the two Police ranks were admitted with chop wounds.
The Police Force has indicated that the injured ranks are in a stable condition and it has launched a full investigation into the incident.
Several other Police ranks were injured yesterday by the protesters while they were making attempts to clear the road of debris that had been placed there by protesters.
Ranks had to run for cover as hundreds of the protesters gathered and started to pelt them with glass bottles and other pieces of debris.
One rank sustained a number of stab wounds and four school children were briefly hospitalised after their school bus came under attack by the protesters as it drove through the Bath Settlement area.
The main political parties have issued a call for calm and peace.
The protests by supporters of the People’s Progressive Party erupted yesterday morning over the decision by the Elections Commission to declare the Region Four elections results before completing the verification process.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login