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Man chops police, shot dead

May 27, 2012 News

 

– had threatened to burn down house

 

Investigations are continuing into a fatal shooting yesterday afternoon during which one man was shot dead by a female police rank at Vergenoegen, Essequibo. Dead is 42 year old Shawn Watkins of lot 25 Vergenoegen.
His death same one day before his mother was to have been buried. The woman had collapsed and died earlier in the week.
According to police reports, Watkins was killed after he attacked and chopped two officers who were responding to a 911 call made by a relative against the man. Kaieteur News was told that after the officers arrived at the house, Watkins was allegedly armed with two cutlasses. This newspaper was told Watkins attacked two of the officers.
The injured officers were identified as Jomo Williams, 29, and Alex Solomon, 20.  This newspaper was further told that the officers made several attempts to calm the suspect down, but failed. Watkins allegedly charged the policemen and chopped them, prompting the others to open fire.
According to a general duty police officer, Alex Solomon, 20, of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara a report was made that “the rastaman,” Shawn Watkins tried to chop a female acquaintance and threatened to burn her house down.
The officer said that he and two others went to arrest Watkins. “When we went there he pick up two cutlasses and had us waiting a whole hour.” He said that after the man was making continuous threats at them, they called for backup and four other police officers went to the scene.
After that Watkins still failed to surrender and the patrol called and asked for permission to shoot. According to the officer permission was granted and when one police officer fired the first shot, “Rastaman run to us and start chopping and the patrol open fire at him,” Solomon stated.
It is unclear how many shots Watkins sustained but according to Solomon, he appeared to be dead.
When Kaieteur News visited the GPHC yesterday, Williams was receiving treatments in the Accident and Emergency Unit. Solomon who received a chop wound on his hand was in the hospital waiting area. He said he believed Williams is critical because he received chops in his back and belly.
Meanwhile at the scene of the shooting none of the relatives was forthcoming with any information even though they had initially called and asked for the matter to be highlighted. Relatives said that they were not prepared to say anything since they were preparing for another funeral.
They said that another relative who happened to be a very senior police officer told them to avoid speaking to the press. The senior officer was also there but he kept his distance from the other relatives.
Meanwhile a short distance away from where the shooting occurred, a resident collapsed and died. This newspaper was told that the man whose identity has not been ascertained was walking along the public road when he collapsed.
Several attempts to call an ambulance were unsuccessful. According to reports residents covered the body with a piece of cloth until the undertakers arrived.
Kaieteur News was told that the body was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital mortuary for identification and post mortem.

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