Attorney accuses cops of killing innocent teen

Dec 21, 2009 News

---

– two other suspects in Hampshire robbery released

The controversy over the shooting of 18-year-old Hemchand Gopaul at Hampshire, Corentyne escalated, with attorney-at-law Khemraj Ramjattan accusing the police of killing an innocent man.

Ramjattan made the remark shortly after police released two other youths who, along with Gopaul, were said to be suspects in Friday’s robbery, in which bandits had escaped with a haul of cash and jewellery.

The two youths, reportedly aged 15 and 22, are being represented by Ramjattan, who is also looking into the interests of the parents of the slain 18-year-old.

In a statement issued yesterday, police said that the attorney was allowed to see the two men who were being held at the Albion Police Station.

“The Attorney-at-Law spoke to the two men who informed him in the presence of the police that the police had not assaulted or ill-treated them in any way since their arrest. It had been alleged that one of the men was beaten and the other shot by the police.

The two men have been released on bail today and the investigations are ongoing.”

Kaieteur News understands that the head of the Police Office of Professional Responsibility retired assistant commissioner, Mohamed Jameer and Divisional Commander, Steve Merai, visited the parents of the dead man and assured them that a fair and thorough investigation will be conducted.

Mr. Ramjattan told Kaieteur News that he became involved in the matter after relatives of one of the suspects informed him that the police were not allowing them to see the youth when they went to bring meals for him.

He said that the relatives were allowed to see the suspect following his intervention. The attorney confirmed that none of his clients appeared to have physical injuries, as some of the relatives had earlier claimed.

Commenting on their release, Ramjattan said that this indicated that police had mistook

Gopaul and his friends for the bandits and had opened fire on them.

“What this means is that they killed an innocent man.”

Gopaul, of Rose Hall, Corentyne, was shot dead shortly after three masked men with cutlasses and a handgun carted off some $85,000 and an estimated 60 pennyweights in jewellery after smashing their way into a house at Hampshire, Corentyne, home.

Police had subsequently stated in a release that Gopaul was positively identified as one of the gunmen who had invaded the house, which was occupied by Latchmini Narinesammy, 68, Maria Mootoo, 45, her sister Savitri Mootoo, 41 years; and their brother, Vernon Mootoo, and Narinesammy’s nine-year-old grandson.

According to the release, Gopaul was killed during a shootout with the police ranks. It also alleged that the police had recovered eight 9mm rounds from the slain man’s pockets.

But relatives, who staged a protest on Saturday, have insisted that the teen and his friends were digging for “scrap metal” from an old factory at Port Mourant when police confronted them.

And contrary to the police statement, two of the robbery victims who spoke to Kaieteur News denied that they had identified Gopaul as one of the bandits.

According to them, they were never asked by police to view the body. In addition, the victims said that the men who invaded the property were all masked.

The dead man’s father, Vishnu Gopaul, said that his son is innocent and was a victim of police excesses.

Mr. Gopaul said that his son had left home around 19:00 hrs and was out with two other friends digging for “scrap metal” from an old factory at Port Mourant. They would sell the scrap metal to a dealer right in Port Mourant.

He had returned home around 03:00hrs to collect a donkey cart to load the scraps. The man said that he was up early to kill one of his animals to sell when he heard the first set of gunshots around 04:00 hrs.

This was followed by subsequent volleys which ended around 05.30hrs.

He alleged that several police officers later came to his house and proceeded to ransack the building. They never told him what they were looking for and only asked for his son. It was not until he ventured out in the village in search of Hemchand that he was told by some villagers that his son was shot dead and was lying on a dam.

The dead man’s relatives named a few police officers that they alleged constantly harass the family.

Vishnu Gopaul then told a story of police harassment which began over a year ago after his son was implicated for a misdemeanour and was charged with attempting to commit a felony.

His son could not use his left hand after he was chopped and had to be hospitalised. He said that the police took $40,000 from him to drop the story and subsequently demanded more money which he could not have afforded. His son was eventually charged and placed on $100,000 bail.

 

---

---