The police yesterday denied any knowledge of the death of 26-year-old Linden Lloyd Bourne, whose bullet-riddled body was found on Sunday evening on the Turkeyen access road.
The dead man's relatives have implicated a policeman who they alleged had had a confrontation with Bourne earlier in the day.
Public Relations Officer of the Police Force, Assistant Superintendent David Ramnarine told Stabroek News that the Force was aware of Bourne's relatives' allegation and was viewing the matter with the attention it deserved.
The PRO added that, "if the relative or anyone has evidence that the police were involved in Bourne's demise, then those persons know exactly what to do. But it would not help anyone to first make statements without wanting to approach the relevant authorities so that the matter could be addressed."
Stabroek News visited Lot 590 East Ruimveldt, the home of Bourne's mother, Yvonne Fletcher, and his siblings yesterday. One of his sisters recalled that on Sunday evening at about 6 pm a party of policemen descended on residents around the East Ruimveldt area without warning and raided a number of homes. The woman said that the policemen were carrying a sheet with a few addresses and the family's lot number was on that sheet. According to Bourne's sister, her brother was not at home at the time but the policemen told her that they were searching for a wanted man who was allegedly hiding out in their house. When asked about the raid, Ramnarine said he was not aware of it.
Devon Jackman, a brother of the late Bourne, said the last time his brother was seen alive by them was on Sunday afternoon. He said Bourne left to go on the road as every Sunday he usually attended a function at Spot Seven in East La Penitence.
According to Bourne's brother the function is usually run by the owner of Ashton and Debra's Funeral Home.
An eyewitness, who said he was a friend of Bourne, said he along with another friend were at Spot Seven when a police officer, whose name was given to this newspaper, pulled up in a white car and ordered Bourne to go home. The man said Bourne had ignored the officer and instead went inside to the owner telling her that he was hungry.
Stabroek News was told that the parlour owner gave Bourne a $1000 bill to purchase food and urged him to return early so that he could hold the gate at the function.
According to reports while Bourne was inside with the owner, the officer was still standing next to his car.
The eyewitness recounted that he saw when Bourne came out of the nightclub and shortly after he left, the policeman entered his car and went away in the same direction.
Jackman told this newspaper that when they did not see Bourne return home they were not all that bothered since he was known for sleeping out sometimes and in the past he had stayed away from home for more than a day.
However, it was not until Monday evening while looking at the news that relatives recognised Bourne's corpse.
Jackman said they had information that the policeman did follow Bourne and later apprehended him, took him into his car and carried him away somewhere in the South Georgetown area.
According to Jackman, Bourne was severely beaten at South Georgetown and was then taken to Turkeyen where he was later shot and killed.
Ramnarine told this newspaper that the Force did receive information that a resident or residents had claimed to have heard explosions similar to those of gunshots shortly before Bourne's body was discovered and that a white coloured vehicle was observed speeding off in a westerly direction.
Bourne's mother said she made a report to the police yesterday who continued to deny having any knowledge about her son's demise.
"What I know is that my son was no wanted man, he was not involved in anything illegal and he does not deserve to die like that."
She said that what might have influenced his killing was the fact that he had purchased a pair of pants and a jersey from a man who had broken and entered another man's home recently.
Fletcher promised to find justice for her son. She said that even if the police did not investigate she would pursue the matter and have her son's killer brought to justice.