Police Complaints Authority will probe Linden killings – Kennard

Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, retired justice Cecil Kennard says that as long as the police are involved in a shooting his office should investigate.

He was on Friday responding to a question from Stabroek News on whether his office would investigate the fatal shooting of three Linden protesters on Wednesday evening. Kennard said that as long as it is deaths caused by the police, his office would have to be involved. He said that the report done by the police ought to be submitted to his office and “at some stage I should be involved.” However, he noted that he cannot do anything unless he has a completed file with all the relevant statements. Ivan Lewis of Wismar Housing Scheme, Ron Somerset of Amelia’s Ward and Shemroy Bouyea of Wisroc Housing Scheme were killed after police opened fire at the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge on Wednesday evening. Police have said that they opened fire after missiles were hurled at them but protestors and others have disputed this account. Residents were protesting the increase in electricity tariffs.

Meanwhile, all traffic to interior locations that have to pass through Linden remains at a standstill. Operators at several bus services that ply the Georgetown-Lethem route and Georgetown-Mahdia route told