By Gaulbert Sutherland
A 22-year-old man was fatally shot in his back at Holmes Street, Tiger Bay yesterday allegedly by guards attached to the MMC Security Force.
Dead is Travis Parks, a mini-bus conductor and part-time labourer of Rasville. According to residents after being pulled out of a bushy lot where he had gone to relieve himself and accused of stealing a gold chain, Parks was allegedly shot in the back as he was being led to the security firm’s vehicle.
The four guards then were said to have picked up the bullet casing and driven away. A passer-by took Parks to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) in his vehicle, where he succumbed while undergoing treatment.
When contacted yesterday, Managing Director of MMC, Carl Morgan said that he had not been fully briefed and had no comment to make.
“Is murder they murder he,” a grieving Michelle Parks, the mother of the dead man said. Decrying the incident as murder too, residents of Tiger Bay recalled that Parks was playing football and then had gone to relieve himself in the bushy lot. When this newspaper visited the area, a number of residents were gathered in the street and, noting that many were on the street when the incident occurred, recounted what had happened.
A woman, who did not give her name, told Stabroek News that some time around 3pm, there was a large group of residents in the street, including children as a football game was going on, when the guards in an MMC vehicle turned from Water Street into Holmes Street and stopped and asked if anyone had seen a male riding. “They come in and ask if anybody see a boy just ride through here,” the woman said. Residents said that they had not seen anyone and told the guards so.
The woman went on to say that the guards, dressed in green and brown uniforms, then disembarked from the vehicle and proceeded to the bushy lot where Parks was. According to the residents, after reaching him, the guards asked him about a gold chain and then began kicking and hitting him when he denied knowing anything about a chain. “They ask he, whey de chain deh, whey he chain deh; he seh he din had no chain and they cuff and kick he,” one resident related.
The residents alleged that the guards, hitting Parks, led him out of the lot and told him to get in the vehicle. They said that as the group neared the vehicle, one of the guards “cranked” his gun, and one of the men kicked Parks and he fell. They said that Parks turned over and lay face down on the ground and it was then they alleged that another of the guards shot him. “De people shouting ‘doan shoot, doan shoot’… nough children went playing football on the road and they still shoot the boy,” an upset resident recalled. Blood was still visible in the middle of the intersection of Holmes and Queen Streets, where Parks had been shot when this newspaper visited.
Residents said that after Parks had been shot, the guards picked up the bullet casing, got in their vehicle and drove away, leaving the wounded man lying on the ground. A relative of Parks was also there at the time of the incident and residents said that even though she pleaded with the guards to assist, they did not. “She crying and begging them foh carry he to the hospital but they just look for the gun [bullet] shell and drive away,” a resident claimed.
The driver of a passing car eventually assisted in getting Parks to the hospital, where he succumbed shortly after 4pm, while undergoing treatment.
At his Rasville home yesterday, tears flowed. Parks’ girlfriend was present at the home and could not hold back her tears. Parks’ mother, Michelle Parks told Stabroek News that the family was at the Botanical Gardens when they received a call from a friend stating that Parks had been shot.
She said that as she had two young children with her, they quickly dropped them off and then rushed to the hospital, where her son was being treated.
She said that there they were told to hold on as the doctors were with him. Shortly after, she said, a doctor came and told them that they were not getting any response from him. Upon hearing this, she rushed into the room but he was dead. The grieving woman asked why her son had to be killed. “Is four of them, not one of them…when they done beat he…they shoot he…at close range, why,” she said.
Meanwhile, upset Tiger Bay residents questioned how the guards could have shot Parks. Noting that after being asked about the chain, Parks had put up his hands up and said that he had no chain and pointing out too that he had been playing football and had no shirt on, they queried, “Why they had to shoot he?” Stabroek News was shown a photograph of Parks as he was being placed in the car to be taken to the hospital and he was bare-chested.
Residents said that even if Parks had been attempting to run away, the guards could have shot him in the legs. They noted that there were lots of children present during the incident and some had been left traumatized.
Meantime, Michelle recounted that she had last seen her son at around 2pm yesterday as the family was about to tour the zoo at the Botanical Gardens. She stated that he had come to drop off an ice pitcher and burger from JR Burgers that she had asked him to bring. “I ask he if he want come in the zoo with we, but he seh he gon come back,” the woman recalled. The fateful call came a short while later. A relative noted that Parks normally went to Tiger Bay on Sundays to visit some friends. “He normally does go to de Bay on Sunday and check out he friends,” the relative stated.
A few family friends, who were present at the home, recalled that Parks liked to play with children. “Travis like play with lil children…me children like he…he does treat them real good,” one woman said.
Parks leaves to mourn his mother, two sisters, five brothers and other relatives.
