Linden fatal shooting… BALLISTICS TESTS SHOW PELLETS ARE NOT THOSE USED BY GPF PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 02 August 2012 21:30
DEPUTY Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement), Mr. Seelall Persaud, yesterday said the shotgun pellets that caused the deaths of Lindeners on July 18 during a protest over the hike in electricity tariffs are not “police issued” pellets, since members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) do not use that type of cartridge.
The police are still checking to ascertain where those pellets came from.
He revealed that the Police Ballistics Department completed the ballistics tests on Tuesday, and reiterated that the GPF does not use such “heavy cartridges”.
The police have since checked for gunpowder residue on the weapons that were issued to ranks on duty in Linden at that time.
He explained that it is difficult to say from which particular shotgun the pellets were fired,   but from the cartridges used, it is easier to distinguish the type of  weapon that was used in that incident.
After some delay, the ballistics testing of the metal fragments recovered from the bodies of the three Linden protestors who were shot and killed in the mining community on July 18 during a stand-off with law men were handed over to the police following the post-mortem examinations a week ago.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) last week managed to secure the services of Trinidadian pathologist Professor Hubert Daisley, who witnessed the post-mortem examinations on the bodies of the Lindeners Shemroy Bouyea, Allan Lewis and Ron Somerset.
The autopsies were conducted by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh.
The post-mortems revealed that the men were all shot through the heart with “bronze-capped” lead bullets.
The trio was part of a protest exercise in which hundreds took to the streets, more than a week ago, in protest of the increased tariffs for electricity in Linden.
However, following the announcement of Alliance For Change (AFC) executive member Mr. Nigel Hughes last Friday, disclosing that that party had successfully secured the services of a United Kingdom-based forensic expert to visit Guyana to assist with the ballistics testing of the metal fragments recovered from the bodies of the three dead Linden protestors, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement), Mr. Seelall Persaud, disclosed that he is not aware of any instructions or requests for that service.
On Friday last, Hughes told the media that the AFC had secured the services of a UK-based forensic expert who is willing to help with the ballistics testing of the metal fragments recovered from the bodies of the three dead Linden protesters.
He said the expert, Dr. Mark Robinson, was willing to observe the ballistics tests spearheaded by the GPF, and to conduct his own. He also said that the AFC had since written acting Commissioner of Police Leroy Brumell, seeking his permission for Dr. Robinson’s involvement, and is awaiting Brumell’s response.
Hughes added that the forensic expert was expected to be in Guyana at the earliest opportunity.
Last Updated on Thursday, 02 August 2012 21:32
 
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