Police and the Guyana Fire Service were last night deployed to Agricola, East Bank Demerara after residents briefly blocked the public road, burning tyres in protest of what they called “police discrimination.”
Their angry demonstration came a day after 17-year-old Shaquille Grant was fatally shot by police and another youth Romel Bollers, 19, was wounded.
All of the residents Stabroek News approached stated that they did not see how the fires started but they were vocal in complaining about the actions of police on Tuesday, when Grant was killed.
“The police always saying the same s**** that people fire on them first… They killed that woman son in cold blood and expect we to tek it so? No. We vex. We vex bad! So we will block de road [and] let everybody know we vex man,” an angry resident told Stabroek News. Others agreed either vocally or with nods in unison as he spoke.
Stabroek News was told that police launched an operation in the community on Tuesday 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 and firing at him. A .38 Smith and Wesson revolver was recovered by the police,” police said in a statement afterwards, while adding that three other men were arrested and are in police custody assisting with the investigations. (See other story on Page 13)
Last evening commuters along the East Bank Demerara corridor had to resort to using the eastern side of the road for both entering and leaving the city. Reports from eyewitnesses were that residents of Agricola descended on a nearby vulcanizing shop and obtained tyres, which they burned in several places, including at the Rome Agricola entrance and on the eastern side of the public road, a short distance from the vulcanizing shop.
Police and members of the fire service responded promptly and after about 25 minutes the flames were extinguished and debris removed and traffic flowed once again. Throughout the evening police maintained a steady vigilant presence on the lower East Bank highway.
Meanwhile, at the scene, Stabroek News’ reporter was told by a police rank, in vehicle PNN 6168, to desist from taking photographs and that there would only be one warning as reporters are prevented from taking photos of the police. Questioned as to the reason, the rank giving the order did not reply but instead repeated and walked back to his colleagues.
