Cop shot dead at Buxton outside paramour's home
Ninth policeman gunned down since April
Stabroek News
August 28, 2002
A 20-year-old Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer was gunned down in front of his girlfriend's home in Buxton last evening, the 9th policeman to be murdered by criminals since April.
Dead is Feroze Bashir of Lot 122 Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara. The officer was said to have just arrived in front of his paramour's residence at Lot 110 Side Line Dam, Buxton when the unknown assailant gunned him down.
With no particular motive apparent, it was being suggested last night that the shooting was in retaliation for the death of escapee Andrew Douglas a day earlier under unknown circumstances.
Killings of wanted men in the past by the police have resulted in tit-for-tat attacks on policemen with fatal consequences. On Saturday, also in Buxton, the Deputy Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, Vibert Inniss was shot dead in his car by gunmen as he waited to buy newspapers.
When this newspaper visited Buxton last evening the scene was quiet as if nothing had happened. Residents who live nearby to the shooting scene had already closed their doors and were viewing the proceedings from their windows. Stabroek News understands that the young officer was shot thrice just around 6:45 pm and died on his way to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GHPC) where he was pronounced dead.
Bashir's paramour, Anitra Summer who is seven months pregnant for him, said that Bashir had paid her a visit and she was standing in front of her bridge while he sat on the scooter. She said that they stood for a short while and suddenly a man whom she had not seen before approached Bashir and said "leh me get something", referring to money. She said Bashir responded by telling the man he was "bruks"(without money) and an argument ensued between them. She related that as they argued the man reached down to his waist and whipped out a gun telling Bashir, "You don't have (money then) tek dis". She said the man fired off two rounds at him, one hitting him in his throat and exiting through his neck and another to one of his wrists. The assailant then fled. The young man fell to the ground and was left in the middle of the road until Summer's father, Leon Summer, arrived home and saw the mortally wounded man on the road. When Stabroek News spoke to Leon Summer last evening the man said that all that he knew was that when he returned home last night he saw a man lying in front of his gate on the road. He said when he looked at the body he realised that it was Bashir. The man said he immediately lifted him from off the ground and took him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
When Stabroek News visited the slain cop's home in Melanie his mother, Marian Rahaman who had adopted him since he was nine years old said that she was at the time speaking to a neighbour when the sad news was broken to her. She said that Bashir had received several death threats over the past months and even though she had warned him to be careful he always told her that he was going to die in the line of duty. "De always threatening him, two boys always threatening him. This week a friend come and tell he that they goh lick he off he bike."
She continued that she was very fearful for his life and advised him to migrate to Brazil. "But he said me nah frighten, if me bin frighten ah would a gan some way but ah gat to die in the line of duty," Rahaman said. According to her, fear for his life became more intense after the bandits started to kill police officers. "Ah sey boy deh killing police and deh threaten you, you have to do something but he continued to say that he was not afraid," Rahaman recounted.
Rahaman recalled that yesterday morning the young man who is on vacation leave went to Georgetown and later returned during the afternoon, had his supper and left the house. She related that while Bashir was eating, a nearby resident, whose son is also a police officer was over at her and she was telling her about the many threats he had also been receiving from time to time. She said after having his supper Bashir rode off with his cycle but she did not know where he was heading. She said shortly after he left Anitra called for him and she told her that he had gone out. "She asked whether he was coming by she and I said no, because I did not know where he was going." But this was not to be, the young man ended up at the young woman's home and at around 6:50 pm Rahaman said Anitra called to inform her that he was shot several times by a man and that her father had taken him to the hospital.
Rahaman, who broke down several times as she spoke about Bashir, said that he was always helpful and friendly. She told this newspaper that it was only on Sunday that a young man who was passing through the area threatened to kill him.
Bashir became a member of the Guyana Police Force when he was 18 years old and had been there for a little over two years now. His death followed those of eight other police officers since April and following the February 23 jailbreak.
Senior Superintendent Leon Fraser was killed on April 1 at Yarrowkabra on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and Detective Sergeant Harry Kooseram was shot dead on April 15 while on his way to work at the Vigilance Police Station. On May 25, Sherwin Alleyne along with three policemen were shot while on patrol duties at Coldingen, East Coast Dermerara. Alleyne later succumbed at the GHPC. On May 30, Rural Constable Andy Atwell was killed when bandits attacked the Alberttown Police Station. On June 14, ranks of the Target Special Squad came under fire in front of the Wismar Police Station and constable Rawle Thomas was shot. He also succumbed two days later at the GHPC. On July 11 Detective Corporal, Adrian London was shot dead execution style on Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge. In that same month on July 21, constables Outar Kissoon and Ramphal Pardat were shot and killed after gunmen lay siege to the Rose Hall Police Outpost. Two other law enforcement officers, prison officer Troy Williams and Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit Deputy Head Innis were also killed. Williams was killed on February 23 when the five escapees made a bloody escape from the Camp Street jail. And on August 24 Innis was shot and killed on the Buxton Public Road.