Deadly sleepover: Police yet to complete investigation

The police are yet to complete the investigation into the shooting death of 15-year-old Rockey Sawh two months after he was killed. January 18, 2021 marks exactly two months since the teen was reportedly accidently shot in his head by his best friend during a sleepover.

When contacted by the News Room on Monday, Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Khali Pareshram said the file was initially sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice but was returned for the police to conduct further investigations. The DPP had also requested that a probation report be done on the suspect, 16-year-old Abdool Wahab.

According to Commander Pareshram, there is still “some areas to be cleared” before the file is sent back to the DPP.

Sawh’s mother, Amrita Panday, was too emotional to speak with the News Room.

According to the police, Sawh was accidentally shot in the head on November 18 while he was at a sleepover at Wahab’s Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, Georgetown house. Wahab was arrested and subsequently released on $100,000 station bail.

Sawh’s family continues to seek answers as to why Sawh was only taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) hours after he was shot in the head.

Doctors had told the family that the teen could have survived if he was taken to the hospital sooner.

The young man, who was a student of Cummings Lodge Secondary School, East Coast Demerara, was shot in the right side of his head after Wahab reportedly broke into his father’s wardrobe and retrieved his licensed .32 Taurus pistol, pointed it at Sawh’s head and “accidentally” pulled the trigger.