Police have come under heavy criticism for the way they handled Tuesday’s Middle Street shootout, which claimed five lives including that of the gunman, and according to retired Police Commissioner Winston Felix what was lacking was proper leadership.
Dozens of ranks engaged miner Deryck Kanhai in a shoot-out shortly after he had killed 71-year-old Hugh Rowland and Vanessa Williams and wounded Paul Raman. Despite their numbers, the man managed to keep the ranks at bay for nearly three hours. Two policemen, Constables Sherwin Pantlitz and Michael Forde were also shot dead during the confrontation, which ended with Kanhai’s death. It is still unclear whether he was subdued by lawmen or killed himself.
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