Uploading pictures of yourself posing with guns and bullet proof vests on social media sites has implications, according to Crime Chief Leslie James.
He was responding to queries from Stabroek News yesterday in view of the shocking photographs of a variety of guns, a bullet proof vest and what appeared to be a firearm licence approval on the Facebook page of Kevin Fields, the bandit who was shot moments after he snatched a bag of money from a businessman on Monday. Many of the other photographs show Fields surrounded by bottles of various alcoholic beverages and large sums of cash. Based on the photographs he lived a fast-paced lifestyle filled with lots of glamour.
Questions have been raised as to why this had gone unnoticed by the relevant authorities especially since some of the photographs were posted as far back as 2012.
Asked about such photographs, James stated that if a police rank browses someone’s Facebook page and comes across such pictures they will have to provide an explanation. He added that such a practice has implications. James said that Fields was not known by police to have been involved in criminal activities prior to Monday when he was killed. He said that his accomplice is still on the run.
One of the photographs also had a document with the heading “Firearm License”. However police said in a press release yesterday that the 21-year-old Agricola youth was not a holder of a firearm licence.
“The Guyana Police Force is informing the general public that no approval for a firearm licence was ever granted to Kevin Fields by the Police Force”, the release said.
Stabroek News has since learnt that the police will be launching an investigation into the origin of the weapons and the large sums of cash that Fields was posing with.
What is also of concern is that in one of the photographs, Fields is dressed like a bandit; he was wearing a white cloth which was concealing all but his eyes and what appeared to be a bullet proof vest. Another showed the bullet proof vest, a hand gun and a pair of brand name boots on a table. There are also two photographs on his page with the words “Hot Shull” and “Demon” printed boldly on them.
Police had said in their release following Fields’ death that around 12:00 hours a businessman went to Ramchand Auto Spares to transact business, “when a man armed with a firearm entered and took away a bag containing $1.7M.” The release said that the armed man then ran outside and towards a motorcycle that was being ridden by an accomplice, pursued by the businessman. The armed man discharged a round and the businessman, who is a licensed firearm holder, returned fire hitting the armed man to his neck.
His accomplice managed to escape, the release said, adding that in addition to the money bag and a .32 weapon, police also recovered a spent shell from the scene.
Based on eyewitnesses’ accounts, Fields was shot dead after he fell off of the CG motorcycle. There are suspicions that the two bandits traced the businessman from a city bank.
Persons who know him, told this newspaper yesterday that his mother had given him a shop to run and had often urged him to change his dangerous lifestyle. However he chose to disregard her warnings.
Persons who knew Fields personally said that he was a known troublemaker who loved to dress up in the latest fashion and “sport”.