Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, today said no arm of the Guyana Police Force could be trusted to investigate itself and therefore the investigations into the fatal shootings in Linden over the past two days must be independent.

21-year-old Ronaldo Peters was shot dead yesterday after by a Police Sergeant and as protests broke out today against that shooting, one of the protesters, Dan Johnson, was shot dead by the Police as they opened fire to disperse the protesting crowd at Wismar.

The Opposition Leader, who is abroad on official duties, said the Guyana Police Force has been weaponized and politicized by the current Government, and now many members of the Force have gone rogue.

“The regime has politicized and weaponized the Police Force to the point where some Policemen have concluded that they can kill young Guyanese who are vulnerable and poor, then be protected by the Ali-Jagdeo cabal, which itself has been involved in extra judicial killings. All Guyanese must condemn the Ali-Jagdeo regime for creating this unsafe and lawless environment and call on them to end extra judicial killings which have become a norm under them, to end the protection of extra judicial killers”, Norton said.

In the town of Linden today, a number of Opposition MPs and officials joined community leaders in seeking answers and meeting with the relatives of the deceased even as the protests continued.

The Opposition group also visited the Wismar Police Station where they said they were told that there was a complaint filed against the young man shot dead last evening, but the officers on duty did not want to provide details about the complaint, instead referring the opposition group to the Commander for the region. PNC General Secretary, Sherwin Benjamin said had the Police been following their own operating procedures, the shooting deaths could have been avoided.

Meanwhile, in a statement this morning, the Alliance for Change said the repeated acts of lethal force by the Police raise deep concerns about the culture within local law enforcement agencies.

The party called for transparent, independent investigations, and for an end to the impunity that follows these tragedies.

President Irfaan Ali has promised a full and transparent investigation to be overlooked by the Regional Security Service.

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