“This looks like malice or some kind of vengeance they took out,” the sister of 32-year-old Gavin Kennard Douglas said, as the family continues to demand answers following his death while in police custody at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.
Reanna Douglas said the family was still waiting to establish exactly what happened to her brother, whose post-mortem examination reportedly revealed injuries to his head and abdomen.
“I don’t know why they had to go to this length,” she said, questioning the circumstances surrounding his death and the injuries found on his body.
Speaking with Kiskadee Watch yesterday, Reanna said the family had been informed that some police ranks were in custody and were awaiting further developments in the investigation. She said the post-mortem findings had not provided the family with all the answers they wanted, although they were told that Douglas died as a result of bruises to his head and abdomen.
The family also raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding his detention, particularly the clothes he was wearing when they saw him at the hospital.
According to Reanna, her brother was wearing his own clothes when he was detained, but when relatives subsequently visited him at the hospital, he was dressed in a different set of clothes and underwear.
She also questioned the robbery allegations against him, saying that while he had been accused of involvement in the crime, evidence had not been presented to the family to substantiate the allegations.
She said there were four charges in connection with the robbery and that a wanted bulletin had been issued several weeks earlier. Reanna further said Douglas had been restrained by police ranks, with his hands secured, as they attempted to place him in the lock-ups.
The family has since announced plans for a candlelight vigil at Vreed-en-Hoop at 6 p.m. today to remember Douglas and call for justice. “They’re armed and ready for us, but we are going peaceful,” Reanna said.
Douglas, of Lot 416 Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara, was reportedly stopped by police at a roadblock while driving motorcar PAL 2278 and taken to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station in connection with an alleged robbery.
His mother, Colette Jones, an inspector attached to the Special Constabulary Department, previously told Kiskadee Watch that she went to the station and found her son already lying there.
Jones said she received no notification from the police about what had happened to her son. She also said the commander was not present at the time and that she had to depend on information relayed to him by other ranks.
She subsequently heard at the West Demerara Regional Hospital that her son had allegedly been tasered three times.
Describing what she observed, Jones said the left side of his neck was swollen, his veins appeared swollen and he was foaming at the mouth. She questioned how much resistance her son could have offered if, as she understood, his hands had been handcuffed behind his back.
Douglas’ father, Gavin Douglas Snr, also expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided by the police. “The police is not telling me what I need to hear,” he said, adding that, to his knowledge, marks of violence were found on his son’s body.
The death has prompted calls from political parties for accountability and an investigation independent of the police force.
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), in its latest update, confirmed that six police ranks had been placed under close arrest and questioned in connection with the death.
According to the OPR, on November 2, three ranks attached to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station and one from the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station were placed under close arrest and questioned.
Two additional ranks from the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station were subsequently placed under close arrest and are also being questioned.
The OPR said investigators were widening their probe and that other ranks were likely to be arrested as the investigation continued.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday called for the findings of the investigation to be made public, warning against any attempt to cover up the circumstances surrounding Douglas’ death.
The party said the post-mortem examination showed that Douglas died from blunt force trauma to the head and that he had sustained severe injuries to other parts of his body.
The AFC described the death as part of a pattern of alleged police abuse and deaths in custody, arguing that citizens must be protected from mistreatment while detained. It also called on citizens to advocate for accountability and urged opposition parties and concerned citizens to unite in demanding action.
Meanwhile, WIN Member of Parliament Gordon Barker said he was disturbed by reports surrounding Douglas’ death and called for an urgent, independent and transparent investigation.
Barker referred to allegations that Douglas had been tortured before his death, saying accounts from his father, along with videos and images circulating about the incident, raised serious concerns.
He stressed that detention did not remove a person’s right to life, dignity and protection from torture or cruel treatment. “If these allegations are substantiated, those responsible must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Barker said, while cautioning against reaching conclusions prematurely.
The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) also called for an independent investigation, arguing that the police should not be left to investigate themselves.
In a statement yesterday, the movement referenced the Guyana Police Force’s initial account that Douglas became aggressive, was restrained and was subsequently found frothing at the mouth in the lock-ups.
It said the post-mortem examination found that Douglas died from a brain haemorrhage due to blunt trauma and that two Taser studs were removed from his body.
The movement further said Douglas’ family, who witnessed the post-mortem examination, reported that his intestines were ruptured.
FGM also raised concerns about allegations that recordings from the police station may have been tampered with before senior officers arrived, although these claims have not been independently established.
The movement said the investigation should be referred to the Police Complaints Authority, citing the handling of the 2022 fatal shooting of Quindon Bacchus as an example of an investigation involving that authority.
It urged President Irfaan Ali to ensure an independent process, arguing that public confidence in the investigation could be undermined if the police force is responsible for investigating its own ranks.
FGM also stressed that every person in state custody, regardless of the allegations against them, is entitled to humane treatment and protection of their life and dignity.
Douglas, who was a father of one, worked as a taxi driver and also undertook construction work.
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