Camp Street jail razed, prison officer killed

Jul 10, 2017 News

In what could best be described as a horrific unfolding that starkly eclipsed any previous inferno at a prison facility in Guyana’s history the Camp Street prison has been reduced to rubble. For the first time since its construction more than one hundred years ago last night was the first night it did not hold any prisoners.
And not for the first time a prison officer was killed on the job.
The prison unrest broke out at the nation’s main correctional facility shortly after 17:00 hours. It was during this period that an apparent escape and break out plan took effect resulting in seven prison officers being shot and brutally chopped. Countless prisoners and prison officers were injured while others were held at gunpoint under siege. Most were lucky to escape with their lives.
Mere minutes after the uproar started flames billowed from at least three buildings simultaneously, including the ones along Camp, John and Bent Streets as well as the block for condemned prisoners along D’Urban and John Streets.
This was even as several prisoners were seen in the security tower that they had commandeered at the corner of John and D’Urban Street. When Kaieteur News arrived at the scene fire fighters and armed police ranks dotted the location but their every attempt to extinguish the growing inferno was rebuffed by prisoners who had grown to more than fifteen in the security tower.

One man who looked like a prisoner officer was in a choke hold as the prisoners shouted angrily and lobbed chunks of stone over the prison walls.
Police re-enforcement soon arrived in battle gear backed up by soldiers whose primary objective was to thwart any escape attempt while securing the facility. Those who were in the hut shouted as their other colleagues continuously lobbed missiles, “We ain’t coming out, we want justice; today is freedom day for us and this place bunning down today.”
As the blaze grew consuming the wooden structures the temperature rose the protesting prisoners’ shouts changed to cries for “Help, ayeo open de f***ing gate and let we come out. We ain’t want dead.” But that obviously was not what they really wanted as was evident from their actions when further attempts of rescue were made. Despite the continued missiles some soldiers arrived in an ambulance and swung into rescue mode. Two struggled with a ladder that was placed along the D’Urban and John Street side of the prison wall.
But no sooner had an attempt been made to mount the ladder to offer help than it rained bricks causing the ‘would be rescuers’ to retreat.

Soon after, a prison guard appeared, his shirt bloodied from a head wound. When asked what had happened to him he replied, “I’m alive because I run and escaped after a shot was fired at me, the shot graze my head but I will not leave here while my colleagues remain in there.”
Negotiated attempts for the rescue of prisoners and prison officers ensued for over an hour by various security personnel even as some other prisoners mounted the walls of a concrete cell block and shouted “Freedom, we want freedom, alyuh let we mudda sk&nt out,” they shouted. Some covered their faces with jerseys as the inferno continued. The blaze intensified. Even persons outside the prison walls had to move back to escape the soaring temperatures.
Then more cries for help were heard as well as banging on the prison fence as well as loud clanging sounds emanated from the D’Urban Street side of the prison gate but as had become the norm, missiles followed. So intense was the heat that two buildings on D’Urban Street across the way from the prison caught on fire.
As day turned to night floodlights were brought in yet the prisoners who were in the security tower were resolute that they were not coming out.
Ultimately after about two and a half hours some of the prisoners shouted their willingness to be rescued. The ladder was shifted to the John Street side of the fence resting upon the razor/ barbed wires and before long three prison officers clambered down to safety.
“Was five of us in there and them prisoners who come out with we actually saved us from death and negotiated our release,” one prison officer told the police and media operatives.
However, up to late last evening some other prisoners who were in the security tower refused to exit the compound while those who opted to be rescued were searched, handcuffed and placed in a security vehicle and whisked away.
Up to that time all the wooden buildings in the compound were destroyed and the flames were petering out. Notable were the emotional outbursts from relatives of prisoners and prison officers who were seeking any information about their wellbeing and whereabouts. (Mondale Smith)