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Slain activist’s relatives hope for justice under new government
– believe assassination galvanized coalition supporters
Almost three months after riddling him with bullets as he campaigned with a bull-horn, the killers of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing remain at large and are still to be identified.
But some of Crum-Ewing’s relatives appear to be more optimistic that his assassins will be brought to justice, now that a new government headed by President David Arthur Granger is in place.
Crum-Ewing, a former army officer, was shot five times at close range on May 10, while traversing Third Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, with a bullhorn and urging residents to vote the PPP/C out of office.
The 40-year-old man was shot twice to the temple, once to the back of the head and twice to the stomach. The killer(s) used a .32 pistol and fired at such close range that gunpowder burns were left on Crum-Ewing’s clothes and body.
His sister, Althea, believes that the brutal, unsolved killing galvanised many, particularly young voters, to come out in large numbers on May 11 in support of the opposition coalition.
Courtney Crum-Ewing protesting outside the Attorney General’s office
“I believe that was it not for his death, a lot of young people would not have come out and voted,” she said.
“I now look at his death as having a purpose. Some commented on Facebook that this vote is for Courtney. I wish he was here now. Unity is what he wanted. After the Cummingsburg Accord was signed (which led to the APNU and AC joining forces), he wanted to start campaigning for them. And he was saying that if they got into power and don’t honour their obligations, that we should vote them out. The elections showed that the people acknowledged what he really wanted: Unity and a better life for every Guyanese. He wanted to see the people of Guyana living as one. He would have loved this result. This is what he was working for,” Crum-Ewing’s sister said.
“My first thought (on hearing he election results) was that Courtney would be extremely happy, and the second thought is that we would also get justice and also for (Ronald) Waddell and ‘Sash’ (Satyadeow ) Sawh. He was upset that there was no inquiry into ‘Sash’ Sawh’s death. A lot of deaths would be solved now,” she added.
Last Saturday was an even more emotional time for family members who stood with thousands outside Parliament Buildings for President Granger’s inauguration.
“I cried today,” his mother, Donna Harcourt said. “I would have loved him to be here (at the ceremony). I felt sad because justice has not come up to now.”
While police said that they have questioned several people and checked surveillance camera footage from the night of his assassination, senior police officials have never said whether they had ever questioned two individuals who had allegedly threatened the slain activist.
Relatives of the slain former army officer have stated that he was threatened twice while staging his one-man protest against Attorney General Anil Nandlall. He reportedly identified one of the individuals who made the threats, while filing a complaint at the Brickdam Police Station. Relatives said that he also filed a complaint with a rank at the Attorney General’s office.
During the initial stages of the investigation, Crime Chief Leslie James had told Kaieteur News that he had instructed his staff to check their records to see if there were any reports of threats made against the activist. James had also said that the Guyana Police Force will go “wherever this investigation leads” in its quest to apprehend Crum-Ewing’s killers.
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