The mother of Ron Somerset, one of the three men shot dead during a protest on July 18, 2012 at Linden, yesterday said that her son’s death forced her to leave the country.
The testimony of Margaret Somerset, who detailed her son’s financial contributions towards their household, brought the curtains down on the public hearings by the Commission of Inquiry. It was set up last year to examine the circumstances of the shootings, including the actions of police, who have been accused of killing the three men and wounding up to about two dozen other persons.
The commission, which is also mandated to make recommendations for compensation where necessary for injury, loss or damage as a consequence of the events of July 18 at the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge, is expected to present its findings by month end.
At the conclusion of the hearing at the Supreme Court Law Library yesterday, all the commissioners expressed gratitude to all involved, including members of the Guyana Bar and the media. Commissioner and former Chancellor Cecil Kennard expressed hope that the commission’s final decision would be embraced by all and not be criticised by the media.
Somerset, led in evidence by attorney Nigel Hughes, said that prior to his death, her 18-year-old son worked at an electronics store in Linden. He earned a weekly salary of $15,000, out of which he would contribute $10,000 towards their household.
Ron was also a student of the Linden Technical Institute and during school time he would work only on weekends, while during breaks between terms he worked full-time. He would have received the same amount of money when working part-time, she added.
Her son sold items in the store and also helped with cell phone and computer repairs.
According to Somerset, two of her grandchildren also lived with her and some of the money she received from Ron would be used to take care of them.
Somerset said that at the time, she also sold clothing and shoes in the interior, from which she would earn $50,000 to $55,000 a week.
Three of her five children, who are still alive, also supported her with money every month. She said that they all lived overseas and while the amount she received varied, she would get about US$250.
Three days after her son was buried, Somerset said, she packed up her clothing and moved to Suriname with her two grandchildren. She said that she never planned to move to Suriname before Ron died. “I went to Suriname to ease the stress,” she explain-ed, while adding that her cousins are now staying in her house.
She said she is currently unemployed.
Asked by Commissioner KD Knight SC if she would have been able to live comfortably without Ron’s $10,000, Somerset said “no, not really.” She was then asked if she was dependent on him to pay her bills and she said yes.
Somerset was the last on a list of persons who testified before the commission for compensation for the losses they suffered as a result of the events on July 18. Relatives of the other two deceased, Shemroy Bouyea and Allan Lewis, as well as persons who were shot and wounded and whose properties were destroyed, damaged or stolen also testified at commission hearings.
The inquiry was mandated to look at which police unit was deployed at the bridge and what was its composition and its training, individually and collectively, in preparation for the crowd control operation. It will also determine whether the fatal shootings were committed by the police deployed on the bridge and, if so, who gave the order to fire and whether the police had justification for the use of lethal force at the scene.
The instructions given to the detachment as well any instructions that may have been given by the Home Affairs Minister to the police force to maintain law and order in Linden immediately before, during and immediately after the events on July 18, form part of the terms of the inquiry as well.
Apart from the shooting, the COI’s mandate includes inquiring into the nature of the violence and destruction—that immediately followed the July 18 shooting— and its perpetrators. Further, it is to make recommendations to assist the police in “effectively and professionally discharging their responsibilities for the maintenance of law and order” in Linden and other communities without endangering their own safety and that of innocent persons.
The COI started public hearings last September. The other commissioners are Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal of Trinidad and Tobago, Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh and former Jamaica Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe, who served as the Chairman.
