18-Y-0 protester shot dead by cop after reportedly attacking lawmen

An eighteen-year-old man was shot and killed by a member of the Guyana Police Force after he reportedly chopped and attacked lawmen during protest actions at Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice on Friday evening.

Dead is Seedat’ Devon’ Hansraj of Back Street Cotton Tree Village. He was among hundreds of protesters who protested their displeasure with the way in which the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been handling the results of the March 2 polls.

Police Headquarters in a statement early Saturday said that a Gazetted Officer and ranks cleared the said road of protesters and debris, leaving Sergeant Ibaran with several ranks to maintain free passage along the corridor.

According to the Police, the ranks were then attacked by a group of men armed with cutlasses, wood, iron, etc.  and were forced to discharge their weapons into the air to disperse “the very hostile and aggressive crowd,” at around 19:40hrs.

Police Headquarters said after expending their ammunition, the ranks including Sergeant Ibaran, Corporal Williams, Constable Grant, and Constable Fraser were forced to seek refuge in nearby yards and during that process, it was alleged that Hansraj chopped Sgt Ibaran and Constable Fraser during which he was shot by one of two ranks who arrived at the scene and witnessed their colleagues being attacked and wounded.

The cops and Hansraj were taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where the young man was pronounced dead on arrival.

The ranks remain hospitalised in a stable condition.

Hansraj is the nephew of ‘Romeo Mystic’, a local singer who is popularly known for the song ‘Live life like we at the cricket’, which seeks to unite Guyanese against racism.

The protests in Regions 5 and 6 have turned violent and resulted in many clashes between the Police and residents.