-two Taser studs removed from body
Four police ranks have been arrested following the death of Gavin Kennard Douglas, whose post-mortem examination today found that he died from a brain haemorrhage due to blunt trauma.
Police said Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh conducted the examination and removed two Taser studs from Douglas’s body. The studs were retained as exhibits.
A copy of the medical registration death form
The four ranks, stationed at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station, are being held at the Tactical Services Unit as the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) continues its investigation.
Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd, speaking on the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Facebook’s page, said he observed the examination and called for the case to be investigated as a suspected murder, citing extensive injuries to Douglas’s head and abdomen.
“This is a clear case. The police must now go down the line of an alleged murder,” Todd said.
Douglas, 32, died on Saturday following his detention at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station. Police identified him in their latest statement as a labourer of Crane, West Coast Demerara, and Recht-Door-Zee, Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
A copy of the medical registration-of-death form seen by Kiskadee Watch records cerebral haemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the head. It also lists blunt trauma to the abdomen as another significant condition contributing to death.
The form records the place of death as the West Demerara Regional Hospital and gives the approximate time as 1 pm on October 31. The section classifying violent death as accident, suicide, homicide or undetermined has not been marked.
The document bears a notice stating that it is not an official death certificate.
Todd said Douglas’s family doctor was also present during the examination. According to his account, the pathologist found bleeding in the brain and substantial bleeding associated with abdominal trauma.
He suggested that a heavy blunt object might have caused the abdominal injuries. The police statement did not identify any object allegedly used or describe how the injuries were inflicted.
Todd also said two pins from a Taser had been removed from Douglas’s body. Neither the police release nor the medical form specified the duration of any Taser use.
The attorney further described the material securing Douglas’s hands as particularly strong, saying it took considerable effort to remove.
He maintained that the injuries were not self-inflicted and called for those responsible to be arrested and brought before the court.
“We hope and we expect that swift action will be taken in relation to this matter,” Todd said.
Police said Douglas’s body was handed over to relatives for burial following the examination. No charges against the four arrested ranks were announced.
In their initial account, police said Douglas had been arrested in connection with an alleged armed robbery committed on October 28 at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop.
They said he arrived at the station at approximately 11.36 am on October 31 and became aggressive and resisted ranks while being placed in the lockups around noon. He was restrained and, during a check at approximately 12.45 pm, was found frothing at the mouth.
His mother, Colette Jones, an inspector attached to the Special Constabulary Department, previously told Kiskadee Watch that she observed swelling on his neck and frothing at his mouth. She also reported hearing that he had allegedly been tasered three times.
Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond has called for an urgent and impartial investigation, acknowledging the state’s responsibility for the safety of persons in custody.
“There must be accountability wherever the evidence leads. If wrongdoing is established, appropriate action must follow,” she said.
In its latest statement, the force pledged a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation and said it would take appropriate action against any rank found culpable.
Meanwhile, former Police Service Commission chairman Paul Slowe has urged lawyers to secure a sworn statement from Terrence Kishore, who said he was detained alongside Douglas and witnessed events at the station.
Speaking on his programme, Speaking Out: Exposing Corruption and Incompetence, Slowe played portions of journalist Leroy Smith’s interview with Kishore and said the account should be formally preserved rather than left solely to police investigators.
“I hope that by now you would have had a sworn statement from him,” Slowe said.
He expressed concern that investigators could seek to discredit Kishore, arguing that his account was important because it concerned events he said he had personally seen and heard.
Slowe also questioned the initial police account and said photographs of Douglas’s body appeared to show injuries. He interpreted the position of Douglas’s arms in the images as suggesting that he had been restrained.
He criticised what he described as Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken’s silence following the death, contrasting it with Walrond’s public statement.
“The minister is making a statement, and the commissioner is silent,” Slowe said.
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