Top Cop orders probe of late arrival claim

Husband still in custody

Acting Commissioner of Police Henry Greene yesterday expressed shock at claims made by relatives of Shenese Richardson-Austin that police took 2-3 hours to arrive on the murder scene, saying that he would immediately ask the Office of Professional Res-ponsibility to investigate.

The 25-year-old Lot 502 West Ruimveldt woman was stabbed multiple times when she was confronted by three of four gunmen who invaded her home late Sunday night. She was also beaten. Richardson-Austin died at the Georgetown Hospital less than two hours later.

Relatives had told Stabroek News that following the invasion, calls were made to the East Ruimveldt police outpost and they were told that there was no officer available. They also said that when they went there, the two ranks were asleep and when awakened they were told that neither rank could leave the outpost.

When asked about claims made by the woman’s relatives that the ranks took hours before they arrived at the house to conduct their investigations, the commissioner said that this was the first time he was hearing of that.

Shenese Richardson-Austin

Divisional Commander Leroy Brumell, when asked about those very claims also said that he was unaware of them. He pointed out that the police would respond to a scene once they have information adding that the relatives need to come forward and say what time they made contact with the police.
He stated too that the husband who was held hours after the woman died is still being held for questioning.
When this newspaper visited the residence yesterday, preparations for the wake were in progress. The woman’s sister Chrishanty Richardson said that the police revisited the area and questioned several persons.

“They working real hard to kind these killers”, another relative said.
A post-mortem examination will be conducted today and she will be buried later in the week.
At the time of the incident the woman, her sister Rayana Haynes and their mother Jean Ann Richardson were home. Richardson-Austin had just returned home and was eating in her room when the men barged in.

Relatives had said that while the men escaped with gold jewellery and an undisclosed amount of cash, they were convinced that the gunmen were sent to kill Richardson-Austin, judging from the way they operated.

Haynes had recalled that around 11 pm a man called at the house for cigarettes saying that he was paying with $500. Seconds after handing him the requested item, she turned to make change and it was at this point that the man forced his way into the house and signalled to three masked gunmen nearby to come inside.

According to Haynes, she was forced into a room where her mother lay asleep while the others headed to a back room, after one of them grabbed a knife from a kitchen drawer.
The woman had insisted that a stranger would not know where they kept their knives.

While in the back room, the men stabbed Richardson-Austin multiple times, beating her in the process before fleeing. They spent at least 15 minutes in the house. The woman who was found lying in a pool of blood was rushed to the hospital.

Relatives had recounted years of abuse the woman suffered at the hands of her husband of three years. She relocated to her mother’s residence four months ago and it was from there that she operated her hair dressing business.

According to relatives, the man made threats, kidnapped her and would publicly hit and confront her.