A 23-year-old man who reportedly acted suspiciously when he saw a policeman on Longden Street yesterday was shot in the knee as he attempted to flee the area.
Junior Johnson was taken to the Georgetown hospital for treatment around 3 pm. When Stabroek News arrived at the hospital Johnson was clad in a bloodstained, three-quarter length pants and his left knee was heavily bandaged. He was awaiting treatment outside the X-Ray Department. Johnson declined to speak with this newspaper about the circumstances surrounding the incident but later said that he was in pain. A uniformed policeman was nearby.
A police press release last night said that acting on information received that the suspect was armed, police confronted him “and he was shot in the leg”. The police added that a .25 Beretta pistol and 1 kg 744 grammes of cannabis sativa were found in a haversack. The police added that charges would be instituted shortly.
Meanwhile, when this newspaper visited the East Coast bus park area where the shooting had taken place it was buzzing with activity as persons were making their way home. Eyewitnesses said that earlier in the afternoon policemen dressed in navy blue uniforms and riding motorcycles had been in the area.
One boy said that a policeman parked his cycle on Longden Street and when Johnson who was heading north, saw him the man started to run. From reports this newspaper received, the man continued running north and attempted to dodge the policeman. The rank discharged a round at Johnson but he kept running. Another shot was discharged in his direction, this time hitting him in the knee.
Another eyewitness said that Johnson ran across from Longden Street into the second half of Commerce Street, when he was shot. The man recalled hearing only one shot and he said that the shooting occurred a few feet away from him. No one in the area could say why the man was shot.
good work by the SF, time to crack down on these guns carrying criminals
thats good keep it up SF
Why are police shooting at a fleeing person, was the victim a threat to the officer, was a gun used to confront the officer if the answer is no. What ground the officer used to shoot a fleeing person. Is it lawful in guyana to shoot a fleeing person?
When was the last time you were in Guyana? Maybe you should take a trip now and then you’ll find out.
…. the key word is ” fleeing ” ,, in G’nese lingo,, ah tink dah meen runnin’ fum de law !
end of story ……..
meh nah kno’ wah mo fi tell yuh ……..
Amen_Ra…Like Mcbee says, When was the last time you went to Guyana? It’s the Law, You can shoot a fleein suspect in the leg. He should be lucky that he’s alive and not dead. The also found. 25 Beretta pistol and 1 kg 744 grammes of cannabis sativa. Now if he had kill or Robbed someone you would say something else, Like where’s the police when all of this is going down….Well the police was there b4 anything could happen. Good Work Guys!!
amen-ra , he was going to sell the cannabis sativa (gnaja) or he would have smoked it all then go do a crime with the .25 BERETTA. now he will b but away for sometime ………………. u should say AMEN
Police are well trained,acting upon information they saw the suspect ,running,should they run until they catch him? know if you was a Police you would have done the same that the Police have done good job Police keep it up,well done.
Why reu from the police if you have done no wrong? A weapon was found in his posession. This is one less weapon in the hands of criminals.
Thats a answer. perfect
Have there been changes in the laws and rules governing the use of “deadly force?” “Deadly force” is any force likely to cause the death of a person!
While the use of such force may be deemed necessary on a fleeing person in certain situations and this report doesn’t state what he was fleeing from; I don’t think someone just fleeing qualifies for the use of ‘deadly force’ against them.
Anyway – as is usual – we shall see where this goes
He had a guns and illegal substance and it was not deadly force. He got shot in the leg and not in the a$$
Talking about deadly force? When the thieves break and enter your homes, what kind of force do they use to take your life savings away? You probably haven’t experience any of that. You should be thankful that the police force is doing something to stop these criminals.
What if the suspect was unarmed and fled from the cop out of fear? What if innocent bystanders were killed? I think the cop could have collared the suspect without the use of deadly force if he wanted to.
What if you could read and comprehend? Then you would see that he wasn’t just unarmed but he also had 1.7kg of cannabis in his possession. If the world was turning on “what ifs” alot of things would be different.
…… damn if the police do ,, an damn if they don’t ,, what really is the matter with u people ,, GUILT induces fear !,,, fear induce fight or flight ,, !
go figure ! and stop with the petty condemnation of the cops ,, plz,, can we harness the hate ,, all including me sometimes call for the removal of some in the govt,, we all want change ,, sadly tho ,, we fail to see that change starts from the bottom up ,, we and the way we think ,, is the machine for change ,, here in this forum ,, there r two sets of us ,,”those who can ! and those who can’t “!!….
the change we seek must start with us ,, rather than fighting among ourselves with the faults we find in everything the govt do ,, can we turn it around and just for a day try to take the negative to the dumpster,,, and see a positive………
opposition is the pillar of democracy ,, but the opposing forces must be constructive with their mode of opposition ,, don’t just oppose and comdemn willy nilly …….. those of u who must condemn to make ur day ,, — cos it seems like that is all u have the time and thoughts for —,, why not stop and take a breath
and try to see the forest rather than just the trees !…
” life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrong ” !.—- Charlotte Bronte……
You are absolutely right. Only when one has something to hide that he dodges the law, and in this case the culprit had lots to hide and he ran faster. These bloggers should praise the police for shooting him in the leg and not where he would have been killed
WELL SAID!!! i couldn’t agree more!
I totally agree with you, we do need to give respect and praise when it is due. The police did acted in accordance to the laws governing is tour of duty and the use of his better judgement.
One less gun is off the streets of Guyana.
I totally agree with you. The officer did acted according to the laws and the use of his better judgement.
One less gun off the streets of Guyana.
Don’t consider this deadly force. This is force necessary to stop a fleeing suspect. The individual had a reason to run, as he was in possession an illegal weapon and substances. This police was well trained. He did what was needed to stop, rather than killing the suspect. Great police work. Need more like him around.
you right on Mack
There we go again! According to this report: a citizen ran when he saw a police officer; the police officer shot a man who was running. Why the man ran? Was he running because he wanted to catch a mini-bus,a car or because he wanted to use the rest room? Was there a commission of a crime and the police persued the suspect? According to this report, a resounding..NO. So readers, thats my reason for not traveling to Guyana. I love to run. And according to the police, all runners are endangered species.
in g/t having ganja is a crime having a gun and amo without being a licence holder is a crime. according to the law in GUYANA.
please go home and get a feel of GUYAN .
don’t read sn and think you know what is happening in GUYANA.
I am wrong runners are not endangered species. You protect endangered species. People who love to run are are used as target practice for the police. I say no more
Hey dudes, a cop tried to apprehend a suspect. The suspect resisted arrest and the cop did what was necessary to carry out his duty that he is being paid for. The cop did not shoot the suspect as soon as he saw him. He tried to apprehend him, but he ran. Come on? What was he supposed to do? Run after the suspect until he catches him? As I can recall, several cops are running after fineman, but they haven’t caught up with him yet. Bottom line…this cop did an excellent job. He should be in the group that is hunting fineman. Go cop!
for those of you that do not know. THE POLICE CAN SHOOT AT A FLEEING PERSON. the only thing is, he have to shoot the person in the leg, that is exactly what the police did. if the police shoot someone in the back he can be charged and placed before the courts.
when it come to soldiers, they can shoot in the leg or in the back if the person is fleeing.
because guyana have joint services, the police and the army can be on the streets at the same time.
in other countries the police will be off the streets before the army takes to the streets.
Which country are you commenting on acd9100 ?
1. it was clearly wronG to shoot a fleeing person who was not commanded
to stop
2; that “weapons” were found in the ” haversack” he was alleged to be
carrying seems questionable .( I always have problems with these
alleged finds);
The officer was not an accurate shot. With so many shots being fired, he should
be demoted for wasting ammunition, plus chasing a person on an assumption
I am sorry for the poor chap, too much advantage taken on him.
Sorry folks……no praises from me for I detest police shooting for no
provoked reason.
When that cop approached the Magustrate”s car, he should have shot first
then question later, for the car seemed to be suspiciously parked;
See the comparison?
… to the cop the poor guy was acting suspiciously, so he shot after him
;;;to the cop the car was parked suspiciously, but the cop did not shoot
The police was wrong wrong wrong in this poor man”s case.