Four police officers, who were reportedly involved in the shooting death of Yohance Douglas, refused to take part in identification parades yesterday after one of their colleagues was identified by two of the survivors of the shooting.
Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes, who is one of the lawyers looking into the interest of the boys and their families, yesterday told Stabroek News that he had been told that the four other officers had refused to take part in the parades.
He said that Quacy Heywood and O’Neil King, who were in the car during the March 1 shooting, had identified one of the police officers at around 2:00 pm at police headquarters, Eve Leary.
According to reports the identification parade was ordered by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who is looking at the report submitted by the high level police team.
The team, according to Commissioner of Police (ag) Floyd McDonald, had found among other things that one officer had fired in an “indiscriminate manner” resulting in the death and injuries of others.
However, after McDonald’s public declaration a source had informed this newspaper that the team had found that at least two officers had fired their weapons.
It is understood that after the DPP had examined the report and the recommendations, identification parades were ordered.
Hughes said that a suspect could not refuse to be in an identification parade and following this development he and fourteen other lawyers, who are looking into the interests of the youths and their families, had “grave” misgivings about the investigation. They were expected to meet yesterday evening to discus a way forward.
The lawyer said that the youths had been told to return tomorrow to continue the identification process.
Two other youths, Ronson Grey who was shot in the mouth and is still hospoitalised, and Randolph Goodluck were also in the car when the police opened fire on them at the corner of Sheriff and Bonasika streets.
The shooting of the youths, who the investigating team found were not involved in anything illegal on that date and had no criminal records, has generated widespread condemnation, and saw the University of Guyana Students’ Society (UGSS) holding marches in protest. Both Grey and Douglas attended the university.
The youths were on their way to a basketball game when the police opened fire on them.