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“Justice for Steve”: Family decries brutal police shooting of young man
(Kaieteur News) – The family of Steve Vyfhius, a resident of No. 9 Village, West Coast Berbice, is calling for immediate accountability and a thorough investigation into what they describe as a “unnecessary and torturous” act of police brutality.
Steve Vyfhius
Vyfhius, who suffers from schizophrenia, was left with a shattered leg and narrowly escaped amputation after being shot by a police officer while in custody at the Blairmont Police Lockup.
Senior Superintendent Lonsdale Withrite confirmed with Kaieteur News that a formal investigation into the matter is underway. “Yes, an investigation began immediately, the file should be completed before the end of the week” he further confirmed that none of the police involved is under close arrest.
According to a statement released by his sister to Kaieteur News, Shabekie Vyphius, the incident began on Friday, March 13, when her brother was taken to the Fort Wellington Police Station following reports of property damage. The family maintains that the damage, broken windscreens and windows at a local church, was a direct result of a psychiatric relapse after he discontinued his medication.
“My mom told them it was not a situation for the prison but a psychiatric matter,” the statement noted, adding that all victims had already been compensated for the damages.
The situation escalated the following Saturday afternoon when he, distressed by a flooding toilet in his cell, attempted to leave. Despite being barefoot and unarmed, he was allegedly intercepted by three officers who physically assaulted him. The account alleges that even after Vyfhius complied with orders to “stay down,” an officer discharged a shotgun at close range into his leg.
Steve Vyfhius nursing a shattered leg
“The officer told me not to let my size fool me and that’s why the gun had to humble me,” Vyfhius recounted, describing how officers allegedly pressed a boot to his head and threatened to “blow off” his head while he bled profusely.
Despite the severity of the injury, Vyfhius was reportedly kept in handcuffs at the Bath Settlement Hospital until his mother intervened. Doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital initially could not find a pulse in the limb, though an external fixation was eventually performed to save the leg.
The family has expressed deep frustration with the pace of the investigation. “We have given the police enough grace,” Shabekie Vyphius stated, noting that a statement was only taken from her brother on Wednesday and that no confirmed timeline has been given regarding when the investigation into the matter will be concluded, despite the incident occurring weeks ago.
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