OPR probing death of badly beaten man who died in police custody

Apr 20, 2025 News

---

Kaieteur News- The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has launched an investigation into the death of a man who was beaten by members of the public but subsequently died in police custody.

The deceased was identified as 37-year-old Delon Lawrence of Lot 10 De Kinderen Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

According to a statement from the police, Lawrence had unlawfully wounded 21-year-old Fiona Jones, a Security Officer at the United States (U.S.) Embassy and a resident of Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD) on March 15, 2025.

Lawrence reportedly stabbed Jones with a knife at around 21:41h.

“Inquiries revealed that around 21:00hrs. on the aforementioned date and time, the victim was in Georgetown when she entered a route 31 minibus heading to Wales. She was seated at the rear of the vehicle near a window, alongside another female and the suspect. According to the victim, the suspect pulled a knife from his pants waist and began behaving (disorderly), attacking her and other passengers,” police said.

The commotion resulted in the driver bringing the bus to a halt and the passengers exiting. However, Jones was left alone with Lawrence who allegedly grabbed her hair, and stabbed her to the head, neck, face and hand multiple times. After some time, she managed to escape her attacker and exit the bus.

He followed her and had to be subdued by public-spirited citizens who saw what happened and rendered assistance to an injured Jones, after which the police were summoned.

“The victim was transported by public-spirited individuals to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where she was treated and sent away. Upon the police arrival at the scene, the suspect was observed being pursued by angry civilians who had already inflicted injuries on him, including swelling to his eyes and head,” the police said.

Attempts were made by a constable to apprehend Lawrence but he attacked the rank by lifting and throwing him to the ground and placing him in a chokehold.  Onlookers ran to the police’s rescue resulting in Lawrence being handcuffed and taken to the La Grange Police Station.

Lawrence continued to behave disorderly while in custody. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) were summoned and Lawrence was subsequently taken to the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station where he was placed in the hallway of the lockups. Police said he was being monitored at regular intervals as they awaited the arrival of the EMT. He was responsive at that time.

“At approximately 01:57 hrs. on March 16, 2025, a rank observed the suspect unresponsive during a routine check. The duty officer was immediately informed, and EMT was contacted again, and they responded and assessed the suspect, who was subsequently pronounced dead by a doctor on the team,” the police revealed.

On Monday, April 14, 2025, at 11:25 hrs., a post mortem examination with dissection was conducted on the body of the deceased and his cause of death was determined to be subdural hemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the head compounded by multiple fractured ribs.

The body was handed over to relatives for burial scheduled for April 23, 2025, at the Meten-Meer-Zorg Cemetery.

Meanwhile, Kaieteur News reported on April 16, 2025 that Lawrence was identified by his sister after police sought help with his identity five days prior. Police had posted a picture of the dead man on its Facebook page.

“I went to the morgue and identified him myself; I was shocked and wanted to know if it was true,” the man’s sister told Kaieteur News.

His relatives are at this time calling on police to clarify the circumstances surrounding his beating because they heard two different versions.

According to his sister, the first version they heard from the police is that he allegedly stabbed two persons following a confrontation with a bus driver at La Grange Old Road, West Bank Demerara.

“They said he entered a 31 bus and had a confrontation with the driver at La Grange Old Road, and he stabbed a pregnant woman and a male,” the woman said, while adding, “They sounded the alarm and the villagers came out and beat him badly”.

A passing police patrol saw the commotion and reportedly rescued Lawrence from the mob, but took him to the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station, where he died.

However, there is another version from a police officer alleging that he was beaten at Stanleytown, WBD, after he allegedly tried to rob two passengers in a route 31 minibus.

According to that version of events, Lawrence allegedly went berserk after an alarm was raised, stabbing a pregnant woman in the neck and a female passenger. Villagers at Stanleytown learnt of the attempted robbery and brutally beat Lawrence.

Like the first version, Lawrence was rescued by police and taken to the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station, where he died in police custody.

---

• beaten, custody, OPR, police, stabbed

---