President Bharrat Jagdeo has promised to take whatever action is necessary concerning the police shooting of Yohance Douglas and has further pledged that the results of the investigation would be made public.
Speaking to the media yesterday after returning from talks in the United States, Jagdeo said the matter was being dealt with through a transparent and public process and whatever action necessary would be taken.
Describing the incident as very unfortunate and regrettable, he said that when the funeral of Douglas was over he would try to meet with the UG student’s relatives and the others involved in last Saturday’s incident.
Douglas along with Ronson Grey, who was shot in the jaw, O’Neil King, Quacy Heywood and Randolph Goodluck were travelling in the vicinity of Sheriff and Bonasika streets last Saturday morning when the police opened fire.
Jagdeo said he was pleased that Prime Minister Sam Hinds had tried to make contact with the relatives and while some responded, some had not.
He noted that the Prime Minister spoke on the telephone with the families of those who were shot and wrote letters.
He reported that some accepted the letters and some did not. However, he said he could understand the hurt that the relatives were feeling.
He noted that the police had outlined a course of action in investigating the shooting and that this should be completed by this weekend or early next week.
The results, which he said would be made public, would determine whether there would be an inquest or whether charges would be laid.
But he said he did not want to pre-empt the results of those investigations.
He expressed his sympathies to the families whose children were shot and the family of the young man who was killed.