Police Commander for ‘A’ Division Marlon Chapman has denied that there was any surrender of the three men who engaged Police in a shootout last week Thursday at the home of a construction worker on Norton Street, Lodge Georgetown.
The Commander was speaking at a media conference on Monday at the Police’s Eve Leary Office in Georgetown.
The Commander’s statement contradicts that of the Police Headquarters, which had revealed hours after the shooting that one of the bandits surrendered but died on the way to the hospital.
This is what the Police Statement hours after the deadly shootout noted: “The exchange of gunfire between the two sides lasted for almost an hour during which a Police Corporal received a gunshot injury to his left leg; two of the bandits were found motionless whilst the other who received multiple gunshot injuries, surrendered but succumbed to his injuries on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation; his accomplices were also pronounced dead on arrival.”
However, this is what Commander Chapman said Monday: “The suspects having been realized that they were cornered open fire on the Police, the Police, in turn, returned fire…all three of them were injured and they were taken to the hospital and of course the doctor on duty pronounced them dead,” Chapman said.
The Police Commander said he “heard” that the bandits had surrendered, however, “when I got to the scene I was told that they were all injured while in the house.”
Commander Chapman clarified that the third bandit who died was conscious before he left the scene but he died on the way to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The bandits were shot dead after they invaded the house of Neville Leslie and held him and his 5-year-old son at gunpoint.
The three bandits were identified as 24-year-old Leslie Griffith of Lot 165 William Street Kitty Georgetown, Shawn Browne Jr. and Junior Nurse.
Browne Jr. was the son of the late prison escapee Shawn Browne who was also shot dead by the Police 16 years ago.
At the end of the shoot-out, three 9mm pistols and two cell phones were found in close proximity of the crime scene, while a Police Corporal received a gunshot injury to his left leg.
