Police shoot dredge owner dead in home

May 03, 2011 News

---

*  angry relatives, neighbours say excessive force used, want investigation
*  injured man was dragged down steps, thrown in pickup

By Leonard Gildarie
Police yesterday shot an Eccles dredge owner dead in controversial circumstances during attempts to arrest him at his Cowpen Street home.
A policeman, from Eve Leary’s Tactical Service Unit (TSU), was also taken to the hospital for a stab wound to his arm. His injury was said to be non-life threatening.

Police in a statement yesterday said that at about 10:30 hours yesterday ranks responded to a report of threats at Cowpen Street, Eccles, EBD, where vendor Suzette Fraser, 42, was being threatened by Angold Cox, 54, who was armed with a knife and a piece of wood and threatening to kill her.
According to the police, during efforts to arrest him, Angold Cox attacked the ranks and lashed Constable 19811 Griffith to his feet and stabbed Constable 19907 Wallace to his left upper arm causing the police to resort to the use of force and he was shot.
He was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police said that information was subsequently received from members of the public that Angold Cox was allegedly of unsound mind.
But shocked relatives and neighbours are accusing ranks of excessive force and are now demanding answers.
Angold Cox, called ‘Coxsie’ and ‘Bobbington’, lived at 164A Cowpen Street, Eccles, East Bank Demerara.
According to Cox’s niece, Patricia Evans, she was on scene and saw a policeman shooting her uncle through a broken door.
The shot dredge owner was then dragged down several flights of stairs, half naked, before being thrown into a police vehicle.
According to Evans, shortly after 10:00 hrs yesterday, her uncle called her. “He tell me that police surround he home and want to kill him.”
Evans said that she jumped into a taxi, from her home at Eccles New Scheme, and raced to the scene.
Police were all over the yard. “I hear Uncle Bobbington telling them he not coming out.”
Barricaded
The woman said that she went around to the back of the house where several ranks were attempting to enter through the upstairs door.
“They had big guns pointing to the door. One police lady chase me away.”
But Cox had apparently barricaded that door.
Evans then went around the front and demanded that she be given an opportunity to plead with her uncle.
“I force meh way up the steps and he seh he not coming out.”
Police then started breaking down the door. Cox, however, refused to come out and further barricaded the door using his sofas.
According to his niece, he also used a wood to jab at the policeman outside the side door.
“I see this policeman point he long gun through the door at meh uncle and pull de trigger but nothing happen. He then give the gun to the other police downstairs and pull out a small gun. He fire off a shot in the air and then he point it in the house and fire off one more time.”
Got him
According to the niece, the policeman then told the other ranks that he “got him”.
The other police rank allegedly went up and dragged Cox out of the house.
“This was inhumane. Uncle Bobbington chest was full of blood and he pants down to he ankles and was not wearing any underwear. I see him void heself and I holler and tell meh sister that Uncle Bobbington dead.” Evans, her sister, Nafesha Benjamin; Cox’s sister, Cheryl, and other relatives visited Kaieteur News and vowed to take the matter higher.
“My brother has no criminal record. He does cuss but don’t trouble nobody. His business records are up to date. He only come out a few weeks now from the bush,” said his sister.
One relative claimed that Cox was not mad as was being peddled by some.
“He has some domestic problems and was not sleeping too much. So he was not mad. The police could ah shoot he pun he foot or hand or something.”
Neighbours confirmed that Cox and his wife separated five days ago after a domestic dispute.
Police from Providence were called Sunday after someone complained about a large fire lit by Cox in his backyard. They reportedly took away a music set from the miner.
Again yesterday, shortly after 11:00 hours police went to the home after receiving reports that a tenant was being threatened.
Angry neighbours
Angry neighbours, who declined to have their names published, said that “several police with big guns” were on the scene and called for him to come out.
Cox was taken to the Regional Hospital at Diamond where he was pronounced dead.
Several louvers from the window were missing and the broken door told the tale all too clearly. The inside of the man’s home was ransacked. There was overturned furniture.

According to an emotional Stacy Fraser, Cox’s tenant, her landlord called out for her early yesterday.
“He tell me he want my blood.” Cox was seen brandishing a cutlass.
Fraser was unclear who called the police. “No, I was not at home when they came for him. I just came from the police station.
Fraser said that it was not an easy time living as a tenant with Cox. She lived there with her two children and was seen preparing to remove some of her belongings yesterday.
Cox was said to own a mining claim in the interior and would rent it out to Brazilians.
He has lived in Eccles for 18 years and has a son who also worked in the interior.
But neighbours give a totally different picture of a man who was not in the habit of making trouble.
“This is not right. This man live here so long. The police could a show some more restraint. Why they could not shoot him in a foot or hand or something?” asked a close neighbour.
There were no signs of the man’s wife yesterday.
“They coulda wait for he. He tell them he na coming out. Look at what they do to he step.”
The side step was badly damaged with the rails off, evidence of the nature of the attack.

Several angry neighbours were gathered at the scene, venting anger at the shooting and urging for a full investigation.
(additional reporting by Kristen Macklingam)

---

---