Teen shot dead by cops at Agricola

- say they came under fire

A day ahead of his 18th birthday, Shaquille Grant was yesterday fatally shot by members of the Guyana Police Force at Agricola, East Bank Demerara, where enraged residents later confronted lawmen over their actions.

Grant, 17, of Lot 72 ‘BB’ Eccles, East Bank Demerara was said to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the shooting, which occurred some time after 11am at Third Street, Agricola, where Romel Bollers, 19, was also shot.

Stabroek News was told that police launched an operation in the community after receiving information that a gang was planning to commit a crime. Despite the police’s account that when the ranks arrived at Third Street, someone opened fire, resulting in an exchange that left Grant dead, eyewitnesses said that one officer was seen standing over the teen as he fired about six bullets into his body.

Shaquille Grant collecting his certificate from Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, after being registered as a member of the Community Policing Group last year.

In a brief statement, police force spokesman Ivelaw Whittaker said that ranks on a mobile police patrol came under fire from a group of men at Caesar Street, Agricola. He said the ranks returned fire, fatally wounding Grant and injuring Bollers, who was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) under guard. “A .38 Smith and Wesson revolver was recovered by the police,” the statement said, while adding that three other men were arrested and are in police custody assisting with the investigations.

At the GPH, numerous relatives and friends of Bollers gathered after receiving news of the shooting. The young man, who was shot behind the neck, was under heavy police guard and according to his sister, Renee Bollers, he was experiencing slight pains. She alleged that he had been beaten by the police during the incident.

The young man, a miner, only returned from the hinterland less than a week ago. His sister related that a party of police officers attacked him and his friends as they sat at the corner of Third Street, Agricola.

The heavily-bandaged Bollers said that the police walked up to him and his friends and placed them to lie on their faces. “Them man just come up, put gun to we head and without asking anything shoot me friend behind he head,” he said.

He added that he was lying next to Grant at the time and the bullet that fatally struck his friend exited the young man and struck him behind his neck.

Bollers recounted that the police accused the young men of planning a robbery but according to him, he and his friends were “liming” on the corner all morning.

Shonett Adams, mother of dead teen Shaquille Grant, speaking to reporters yesterday.

He said that two others who were in the group, one of whom goes by the alias “Swanky,” were also beaten by the police officers.

‘Confrontation’

Relatives of the dead teenager bemoaned the actions of the police after the shooting. According to a hospital source, on arrival at the GPH, the police “dragged” the mortally wounded Grant out of the vehicle and through the Accident and Emergency (A&E) ward and into the triage area. “They pull he out and drag he through deh like a pig,” the man related, adding that the young man appeared to have been shot several times about his body.

When Stabroek News arrived at Agricola around noon, police were still guarding the house in front of where the shooting occurred. They barred persons from passing a certain point and this resulted in confrontation after police attempted to maintain the barricades. During a brief confrontation with a resident, said to be an aunt of the dead teen, a male villager intervened and ended up in a scuffle with the lawman.

The fight led to the men falling into a ditch and despite efforts to restrain the officer by his colleagues, it was only after about five minutes that the men were pulled apart. During the physical attack, residents became violent and threats were made to the police officers who made efforts to maintain order in the crowd.

An Agricola villager and a policeman in a scuffle yesterday. In the photo, the policeman can be seen on top of the man, just before they landed in the ditch nearby.

The policeman who was in the fight later attempted to arrest the man he was fighting but he was pulled away by other officers, who advised him to let the resident walk freely. He was later seen in the ditch looking for his radio.

‘What crime?’

Speaking at the scene with Stabroek News was the mother of the dead teen, Shonett Adams, who said that her son did not deserve to be brutally killed. “If they come after a bandit as they claim, the first thing to do is to shoot a man in his hand if they are armed and I know personally that my son isn’t the holder of no firearm. What did this young man do to be gunned down like this?” she asked.

Adams said that earlier in the morning, she asked her son to run an errand for her and after de did not return, she decided to leave for work. While going out of the street, she explained, a boy from the village informed her that Grant had been shot to the head. Prior to that, she added, her daughter had told her that the police opened fire on a gang but she was not aware who exactly were involved. “I hear my big daughter say someone call and say they had shooting in the village. So, I ask, ‘Where is Shaquille?’ Because I know the police is shoot any and anybody,” she stated.

The grieving mother said she would like the police to present the guns they claimed her son and those in his company were armed with and what they say justified their actions.

“I was born and raise in this community and there’s been several incidents and in cases like this people are afraid to speak out because when you speak out, you are victimised by the police and the government. I see police arresting young men in this village and although they lying down, they dusting their feet off on them. I can recall on more than one occasion police coming here and doing business with the kids. What crime my son did for them to shoot him to his head?” she asked.

Adams said her son would have celebrated his 18th birthday today and intended to register for membership in the Guyana Defence Force today as well. He was reportedly a member of the Community Policing Group.