Self-proclaimed eyewitness contradicts police account of seawall killings

Mar 27, 2018 News

Dextroy Cordis

An eyewitness has come forward claiming that the police’s account of the March 15th, 2018 death of three suspected bank robbers.
The men were shot dead during a confrontation with police at the Georgetown seawall in the vicinity of the Guyana National Service (GNS) ground.
The dead were identified as Dextroy Cordis, known as Dutty, 46, of Grove, East Bank Demerara; Kwame Assanah, of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, and Errol Adams aka Dynamite, 57, of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast, and also of Buxton.
Law enforcement officials described the shooting as resulting from increased surveillance in response to the recent spate of robberies committed on customers after they had conducted financial transactions at various commercial banks.
Days after the shooting, Commissioner of Police, (Ag) David Ramnarine publicly declared the use of force by the Guyana Police Force justifiable.
Ramnarine said the officers acted in keeping with the law.
“They were fired upon and as law enforcement officers, who are authorised to use deadly force, as long as deadly force is justified, as long as the deadly force is legitimate, to defend themselves, he said.
According to the Top Cop, the Guyana Police Force, based on intelligence gathering and public trust, has been able to put a dent on a gang that was targeting bank customers.
“No police officer sets out to execute a citizen,” Ramnarine said, when responding to comments from citizens who would have suggested police officers set out to execute the men.

Attorney at law Nigel Hughes speaks to the media in the company of eyewitness, Devon Lyte

However an eyewitness has since come forward detailing a different version of the series of events.
Accompanied by sisters of one of the victims, (Cordis), and Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes,
Devon Lyte told media operatives yesterday that he was working the roof of the Guyana Softball Association on Carifesta Avenue along with two other workers, on the day the suspected bandits were shot dead on the seawall.
In a detailed statement, Lyte claimed that he viewed the occurrence from a clear vantage point.
According to him it was around midday when he heard a banging sound coming from the direction of the seawall.
Lyte said that he then “heard shots being fired and I saw there were two cars driving along the seawall road”.
“A black car was in front and it was being followed by a silver car. The shots were coming from the silver car. The black vehicle which was in front stopped, then I saw one person come out of the black car and stood up at the front driver door.”
He said that he then saw “about one person come out of the silver car, he walked towards the black car.”
“The person from the silver car started to beat the person who had come out from the driver’s side and was lying on the ground….After twenty minutes I heard rapid gunfire. At the time when I heard the rapid gunfire there was one person standing over the same person who was lying on the ground.
“About ten to fifteen minutes after the shooting, policemen from Camp Street started to run up the road. There was a photographer with them. They went to the scene. I also saw the ambulance arrive.”
Attorney Nigel Hughes, who has since been retained by the relatives of the victim, has disclosed that his clients view the use of deadly force in the shooting as unjustified; they believe that their brother (Cordis) was murdered and are seeking justice.
Hughes said that one of the reasons why the press conference was held before taking Lyte to the police was because he wanted what Lyte had to say out in the public, “so you don’t get the police version of what he is alleged to have said to the police…Clearly there are people whose interests are going to be threatened by what he has to say.”
Following the disclosures, Lyte, accompanied by the lawyer, went to the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, Eve Leary, where he submitted a copy of the statement which he had issued earlier, to the Crime Chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Williams.
During this process it was discussed and agreed Lyte would return to be interviewed by a Senior Detective in the presence of his Attorney.