Bullets that killed London came from direction of police
-McAllister tells inquest
By Andre Haynes
Stabroek News
May 24, 2002
Retired Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain, Wycliffe McAllister on Wednesday told a Coroner's Inquest that the bullets that killed Linden London emanated from the direction of the police and the gunfire came even though he had gotten the wanted man to surrender.
The inquest is being held into the deaths of London and Rhonda Forde, a woman who died on the scene. McAllister, who had been one of London's instructors when he was in the GDF, gave his account of the lengthy February 8-9, 2000 siege of the Toucan Suites at Eccles. McAllister recounted the arrival of the military at Eccles at 10 pm, as well as their aborted efforts to enter the Toucan Suites Guest House, where London had been holed-up.
Following Captain Fitzroy Warde's attempt to breach the building when Lance Corporal Lennox Harvey was wounded, McAllister left the scene to visit the injured rank, who was evacuated to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Returning to the scene at 4.15 am, McAllister detailed the use of the 82mm anti-tank recoilless gun which was employed in the removal of the door to the room in which London had taken refuge. After four rounds were fired, he said London began shouting, saying among other things, he wanted to surrender.
"He started to call names of persons with whom he had served in the RECCE (Reconnaissance) Squadron and the Special Forces Battalion. Among the names he called was McAllister."
After seeking permission from then Chief of Staff, Major General Joseph Singh to talk to London with the view of securing his surrender, he went to the western fence of the building and identified himself to London. London, he said, responded saying words to the effect of "McAllister, if it is you, I am going to come out."
"I then said to him, yes, it is me, the man who trained you in the squadron. He said he had to be sure it was me and asked me to stand up. At the time I was crouching behind the concrete wall of the fence - I stood up and he saw me and I saw him."
"You were sure that it was Linden London?" asked the Coroner, Melissa Robertson. "I am sure the person I saw was Linden London."
The retired Captain then went on to describe his relationship with London, which he said began in 1979 when London joined the ranks of RECCE Squadron. He disclosed that London had been in his section for three months training in close quarter combat for which he was directly responsible.
"So what happened after you saw him?"
"He took cover and I asked him if anyone else was in the building with him. He said no."
"Did you say anything else?"
"I told him not to lie to me (pauses)... and he asked me if he had ever lied to me while he was in the army. I said no. He asked me why would he lie to me now... and said he was going to come out and asked not to allow anyone to shoot him."
McAllister then related that in the ensuing dialogue, he had directed London on three occasions to throw out his weapons, which London failed to do, since on all three attempts, the guns hit the grillwork of the window and fell on the inside of the building.
"Did he make any further requests?"
"He continued asking not to allow anyone to shoot him, then he told me he was going to tell me, in his words, "How ah get in to all this." He also said he was going to tell me everything."
After telling London he would take him to the Chief of Staff of the GDF, in response to an inquiry by London, he said London agreed to tell the Chief of Staff everything.
"What happened after?"
"I continued to encourage him to come out of the building and he said to me that he had three options: he said he could have killed himself; that he could have surrendered; or that he could have come out blazing."
McAllister said that he encouraged London not to kill himself and not to do anything stupid. He noted that during the dialogue, Captain Warde and Superintendent Steve Merai of the Guyana Police Force both promised that London would not be shot if he surrendered peacefully.
What followed, McAllister related, was that London who was in the sight of Captain Warde, was instructed to stand up and to place his hands on his head and walk out of the building slowly, all of which he did.
"After he emerged from the building and after he had made about six to eight steps, he was shot down by a hail of bullets....During that time I kept saying repeatedly, hold your fire!"
"As he fell, did he say anything?"
"As he fell he said "Mac, ya promise ya nah gon let them shoot me, or words to that effect."
Following this part of McAllister's testimony, the Coroner made an inquiry about the positions of the soldiers and the police at time when London was shot down.
McAllister in his response noted that soldiers were in position six feet north and south of the western fence where he had been positioned. Those soldiers, he revealed, were Captain David Foo, Corporal Cummings and himself. Captain Warde, he noted, had been on the inside of the compound in a north-western position, taking cover by a guard hut in the compound.
Meanwhile, Captain Foo had been on the northern side of the gate post with McAllister, and Corporal Cummings had been on the southern side. London had been in a south-eastern location after emerging from the door to the building. "The other soldiers were over the road in a strategic position in a north and north western direction."
"Where were the police positioned?"
"All the police, I can recall, came on the scene after the dialogue had begun and were in a south and south-western direction. South of the soldiers."
"You were a soldier, you would have received ballistics training and would also have training in direction or line of fire?"
"Yes. In fact I was the chief skilled-arms instructor at the GDF." "And someone who is trained in ballistics can establish the origin or line of fire, after having all the facts?"
"Yes."
"Can you say where the bullets would have originated?"
"The bullets originated from a south-western or southern direction."
"From the origin of the bullets, who were located there?"
"Only police officers were located there."
"In your opinion, who would be responsible for the shots that killed London?"
"To the best of my knowledge, I am not aware that any soldier fired."
"How would you have known that no soldier fired?"
"As I have established, I am the chief skilled-arms instructor at the GDF and part of what is expected of me, is to pick up direction of fire. It is almost done instinctively. A person trained in ballistics is supposed to identify the origin of bullets in the line of fire."
Cross-examining, attorney representing the interest of the police, Vic Puran asked McAllister whether he had personally spoken to each soldier present on that day.
"Not prior to the incident."
"You had not personally inquired from the military personnel, whether they had fired the fatal shot?
"I never inquired about a `fatal shot.' I inquired whether they had fired at all and I was given the assurance that they did not fire." "In what capacity did you make that inquiry?"
"In my capacity as an officer of the GDF."
"Is that documented?"
"No. It's not documented."
Puran then turned his attention to who was in command of the joint operation and, more specifically, who was in charge of the phase of the operation when London was killed. McAllister named Captain Warde as the officer in charge of the troops in the inner cordon, surrounding the guest house while he had no knowledge of who had been in charge of the outer cordon.
McAllister would later testify that the police infiltrated the inner cordon. While stating that one officer should have been there to effect the arrest, he was of the opinion that they were not supposed to be there.
The attorney, then turned his attention to McAllister's position while London was emerging:
"Were you crouched behind the wall because you apprehended danger?" "No. It's a practice."
"One of the reasons for crouching was to make yourself less of a target?"
"That's right."
"You took up a crouching position after London had indicated to you he was going to surrender?"
"That's right."
"And you crouched even though there was no possibility he would fire at you?"
"I wouldn't say possibility. There was always a possibility. I would say I would have no expectations that he would fire. There was no expectation. I had no expectation because London had requested that I go into the building to bring him out."
"Who prevented you from doing that?"
"When I was about to do so, Captain Foo advised me against doing so for fear that I could have been shot in friendly fire."
"How many units of the GDF were present during the operation?"
"There were three units."
"Were you part of any?"
"I belonged to all."
With the conclusion of the cross-examination, McAllister was subjected to the jury's inquiries. Asked whether the police had been informed that London was going to surrender, he responded in the affirmative. During their inquiry, he also related that the fire which had torched part of the building was deliberately started by the police.
"The fire was started after two attempts by the army (to attack the building) were aborted?" Puran interjected.
"Yes."
Asked whether he felt sorry when London was shot, he responded: "No. I didn't feel sorry for London, I felt sorry for the system of justice in this country."
The inquest will continue on June 3 at 1 pm.