Latest update November 27th, 2024 12:07 AM
Cop on $1.6M bail for fatal shooting of colleague, fisherman
Kaieteur News – Shane James, the 26-year-old police constable of Perth Village, Mahaicony, was on Tuesday placed on $1.6M bail for the New Year’s Day fatal shooting of his colleague 31-year-old detective corporal Dwayne McPherson, and 22-year-old fisherman, Kishan Budburgh.
James made his second court appearance today at the Mahaicony Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Marissa Mettleholzer.
The police constable, who was slapped with two counts of manslaughter charges contrary to Section 94 of the Criminal Law Offences Act Chapter 8:01 had made his first court appearance on January 25, 2023.
The charges were brought against James by a rank attached to the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). He was not required to plead to the charges which stated that on January 1, 2023, at Grove Huntley, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD) he unlawfully killed McPherson and Budburgh.
The magistrate granted the cop bail in the sun of $800,000 on both charges and the matter was adjourned to February 8, 2023.
Kaieteur News had reported that the cop and the fisherman were shot dead and another injured in a New Year’s Day incident. While McPherson and Budburg succumbed, Budburgh’s 19-year-old brother, Marlon was injured.
According to information reaching this publication, both McPherson and Kishan were shot and killed during the wee hours of January 1, 2023. Details surrounding the fatal shooting are sketchy.
Kaieteur News understands that McPherson and other ranks attached to the Mahaicony Police Station, located in Region Five, were at the time responding to a report at the Budburgh brothers residence at Grove Huntley, Mahaicony, ECD, when the police corporal and Budburgh were shot and killed while Marlon was wounded.
In a Press Statement, the GPF noted that a comprehensive probe is underway and promised to give regular updates as the investigation progresses. However, since the initial release, the police had not given any update on the investigation and it was only on Tuesday when they disclosed that the cop was charged two weeks ago.
This publication had reported that Budburgh’s mother, Beverly Dundas, told reporters that she was not aware that the shooting incident occurred. The grieving mother, who is a security guard, said she asked to leave work early so that she can attend church on December 31, 2022. Upon arrival at her home, Kishan and Marlon were not there. She recounted that the father of her children and other children were at home when she arrived. Dundas said they prepared for church and left home at about 21:30h.
“When I come back from church around 1 o’clock time (January 1, 2023), we see the police vehicle on the dam and as we come in, when we watch, we see a man lay down not knowing was one of the police officer,” Dundas said.
The distraught woman later found out that Kishan was killed and Marlon injured and was taken to the hospital.
Post-mortem examinations conducted on the bodies of McPherson and Budburgh, have revealed that McPherson was shot twice to his neck while Budburgh was shot three times about his body.
According to the police report, the autopsy showed that Corporal McPherson died from shock and haemorrhage due to gunshot injuries. It was also stated that there were two gunshot entry wounds seen to the left of McPherson’s neck with no exit.
Budburgh’s autopsy also revealed that he died due to shock and haemorrhage caused by gunshot wounds. The report said that the fisherman was shot thrice. There were three gunshot entry wounds which was observed on Kishan’s body – all to the left side – one 4 to 5 cm below the armpit, one further down the left side back, and the third, about 4 to 5 cm from the shoulder blade.
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