Cop charged with killing unarmed man

Police Constable, Troy Munroe was on Tuesday slapped with a manslaughter charge for the unlawful killing of 39-year-old Cecil Sampat – an unarmed man who was shot four times on July 25, 2020.

Munroe, 25, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to plea to the charge, which alleged that on August 6, he unlawfully killed Sampat of Festival City, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

The serving member of the Guyana Police Force was released on $150,000 bail; he was represented by attorney-at-law, Patrice Henry and the case is adjourned until January 5, 2021.

Munroe, along with Corporal Godwin Thomas, were initially charged with the murder of Sampat, however, after spending a few weeks on remand, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) withdrew the charges.

The charges were instituted by the police and without advice from the DPP.  The duo was released from prison late November following the decision of the DPP; the DPP chambers also instructed the police to do further investigations into the incident.

The News Room had reported, Sampat was club hopping with a coworker, 27-year-old Winston Fraser who is now paralyzed along with Joshua Letlow and Seon Greenidge on July 25 when police opened fire on them.

The four friends were in motorcar PYY 4432 which Police mistook for a car used in a recent robbery at Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

But according to a police report, the ranks had dispersed a crowded bar at Agricola, during which there was a fight between two men and one of the men was armed with a handgun.

The armed man subsequently entered PYY 4432 and as such the ranks began trailing the car. However, the police vehicle had some mechanical issues and the ranks contacted other patrols in the city and notified them of the situation.

Sampat and his friends were intercepted on Durban Street when police began shooting at them. No weapons were recovered from the friends or from the car.  Sampat was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital and succumbed to his injuries on August 6.