The body of a 24-year-old fisherman was recently found in a trench near the Mahaicony Bridge at the East Coast Demerara (ECD) public road, and though an autopsy found that he drowned, the man’s brother alleges that he was beaten by a group of Police Officers.
The dead man has been identified as Amelio Rodrigues of Santa Rosa Village, Moruca, Region One (Barima- Waini).
The News Room understands that the discovery was made early Tuesday (April 4), hours after Rodrigues was allegedly attacked and beaten by ranks attached to the Mahaicony Police Station.
In an interview with the News Room on Wednesday, the dead man’s brother, Carlos Rodrigues said he and his brother were imbibing with a group of fishermen last Monday when the ranks allegedly approached Amelio and started to beat him about his body with batons.
“We sit down under the boat house teking a drink and the officer them come and them run he (Amelio) from deh. Me ain’t know fah wah.
“The man (Amelio) run but them ain’t get to hold on pun he, so he run the station direction…Soon as the officer them gone back inside (the Police Station) the man (Amelio) come back…mussy about 15 minutes I average,” Carlos explained.
Carlos said Amelio ran away from the officers but they chased after him.
“Them man (police) run he (Amelio) again…When I watch, I see like somebody getting hit but he ain’t know was me brother getting beat all the time deh,” he said.
In a bid to represent his brother, Carlos said he armed himself with a cutlass and intervened. That, he recounted, caused the ranks to turn their attention to him.
“…I draw a cutlass pun them, me just want them fah ease me brother lil…Them get hold ah me and they start beat me…Them beat me from the station front till me reach inside the lock up with baton,” Carlos told the News Room.
“With all the lash wah me get in me head, me get unconscious for about five, six minutes and when me get up back me naturally feel blood running down me face…So now one ah the officer come at the cell door and seh ‘this man got to get a medical’ and one ah he colleague turn and she ‘lef that man leh he bleed out right in deh’,” he noted.
Importantly, Carlos related that his brother told him that Police Officers were after him. Amelio, however, never told him why.
“He never tell me wah happen…I ask he fah wah and he ain’t answer me up to now. Now I go never hear an answer,” he said.
And the following morning, Carlos learnt about the discovery of a body which was later identified as Amelio’s. An autopsy later found that Amelio died by drowning.
Meanwhile, Carlos was in Police custody until last Wednesday (April 5) when he was charged for assault and threatening behaviour. He was placed on bail.
Because he was in custody, he does not know what ultimately happened to his brother.
He, however, accused Mahaicony Police Officers of refusing to take an official statement from him. That statement would have been his official account of the altercation between his brother and the ranks.
Now, Carlos is pleading for justice for his brother.
“I would glad for justice for my brother… Them beat he. The man dead from blows,” Carlos lamented.
Contacted on Wednesday, Police Commander Kurleigh Simon said he is not aware of the matter but will look into it.
The Afro- dominated police force again and again perpetuating racism aganist the minority Amerindians brothers with impunity, hope these racist are brought to justice, and it is about time that the Police, Army and Civil Service reflect the ethnicity of the Guyanese population. There are abundant evidence out there for 50 years the Amerindians were brutalised by the police and army.