The family of 23-year-old Quindon Bacchus, the man who was killed during an alleged shootout with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday, is calling for an impartial investigation into his death.
Bacchus, of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, was shot dead at the Haslington New Scheme, also on the East Coast, during a Police sting operation gone awry.
The police reported that minutes earlier Bacchus, said to be a gold miner, had been in the process of selling a gun to the plain clothes lawman.
In a statement last evening, Bacchus’ family, through attorney Darren Wade, demanded an impartial investigation and called for answers to a number of questions, including whether the Force’s Standard Operating Procedures were adhered to before, during and after the shooting.
The GPF, in a statement on Friday, had said that at about 14:30 hrs ranks went to the Haslington New Scheme to conduct an operation based on intelligence they received earlier in the day. A 22-year-old construction worker had provided information, the police said, and later led the ranks to Bacchus, who was in possession of a firearm at the time and had intended to sell it to one of the ranks who was undercover.
The statement said the plain clothes rank, who was armed, made arrangements to purchase the firearm from Bacchus, who left and then returned with the gun. However, during the handing over of the gun, the police said an alarm was raised and Bacchus suddenly ran in a southern direction while also discharging a round in the rank’s direction. The rank then took out his service pistol and returned fire.
Bacchus was reportedly shot during a further exchange of fire.
The GPF said Bacchus had a .380 pistol with a magazine that contained one round. The police also said that one .380 spent shell and two 9mm spent shells were recovered at the scene.
Bacchus later died while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The construction worker was also arrested and taken to the Cove and John Police Station, where he was interviewed about what transpired.
Wade last evening said he met with Bacchus’ mother, Wonette Sandy, and other relatives of the deceased at their home yesterday. He related that Sandy informed him that the Police Force was yet to reach out to the family and provide some information.
The family’s statement said that, among other things, they wants the police to say whether a wanted bulletin was out for the dead youth; what intelligence the police possessed in relation to him; and whether any shells or warheads were recovered from the crime scene and the location from where they were retrieved.
The family also wants the police officer who fired the fatal shot and other ranks involved to be placed under close arrest, and the release of reported witness to the shooting.
The statement also claimed that when Sandy went to Georgetown Public Hospital to see her son’s body after the shooting, she was unable to immediately do so because the doctor informed her that two unnamed individuals, who identified themselves as the deceased’s brothers, had been given the opportunity to view the body.
She stated that she raised an alarm since she only had one other son who was not at the hospital.
Wade said Sandy instructed him that she witnessed several wounds which appeared to be gunshot wounds to Bachus’ body and one to his head.
