The Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised that the accused in the fatal shooting of teenager Rockey Sawh be charged with manslaughter.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that the legal advice was given sometime last month.
To date, the suspect has not been charged.
Sawh’s mother, Amrita Panday yesterday told this newspaper that she received a call from a rank stationed at Kitty police station on Monday who informed her that the suspect will be charged with manslaughter.
However, she said she was not provided with any details about when the suspect will be appearing in court.
Fifteen-year-old Sawh of David Street, Kitty was said to have been accidentally shot by the suspect, who is a close friend, during the sleepover on Sandy Babb Street, Kitty on November 17th, 2020.
Sawh was shot once in his head during the incident which occurred sometime between 7pm and 8pm. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where he was admitted as a patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Sawh succumbed around 5.30pm the following day.
The then Police Commander of Region 4A Simon McBean had said that investigations revealed that Sawh and the 17-year-old suspect were present at the suspect’s Sandy Babb Street home, when the suspect allegedly accidentally shot Sawh in his head.
The wound was inflicted with a gun belonging to the suspect’s father, who is a licensed firearm holder.
The police had said that the suspect accessed the firearm by breaching the lock of a wardrobe in which it was stored.
Following the incident, the suspect was arrested. However, he was released on $100,000 station bail after the mandatory 72-hour detention period expired.
The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) will be heard in the Children’s Court in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act since the suspect is a juvenile.
In November last year, the DPP had directed the police to conduct further investigation into the matter. Among the additional work that the police were asked to undertake was the preparation of a probation report on the suspect.
Stabroek News was previously informed that the file was only returned to the DPP’s Chambers in January.
Sawh’s family has been calling on the suspect’s family to provide them with answers as to what took place leading up to the shooting.
“To be honest, we hoping for some justice so that we can get lil peace of mind….All we asking fah is lil justice. Reach out to the parents. Reach out to Rockey mother and father and let them get lil peace in their mind….They didn’t reach out, they didn’t speak to her and it really hurting her, very much,” Anjani Gomes, Sawh’s grandmother had told this newspaper.
