Family alleges cover-up after man dies in police custody

(Kaieteur News) – The family of 32-year-old Gavin Kennard Douglas is demanding transparency and accountability from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) following his death in police custody at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station on Saturday, October 31.

Speaking with Kaieteur News on Sunday, Douglas’ sister, Reanna Douglas, described her brother, a labourer of Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara, as a hardworking man who was devoted to his family.

She recalled that police ranks had been closely monitoring him at a local gathering before intercepting him in a private, silver unmarked vehicle and directing him to drive to the station.

“He is a hardworking person,” Reanna said. “Right now, his niece is like his daughter to him… Every time he comes around, if she needs anything, they call him and he’s going to show up… no matter what time, even if he has to get a ride.”

Reanna Douglas and her now deceased brother in happier times

The family’s account of what transpired at the station differs significantly from the official explanation provided by the police.

A passenger who was taken into custody alongside Douglas, identified as 57-year-old Terence Kishore, gave an eyewitness account of the incident to Big Smith News Watch.

Kishore said he was arrested alongside Douglas on New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, at approximately 11:20 hrs. on October 31. He referred to Douglas affectionately as “Tall Man” or his buddy.

According to Kishore, upon arriving at the station, the two men were made to sit on chairs near the sergeant’s office.

He said Douglas had not surrendered his vehicle, which had been searched or handed over his phone and other personal belongings. Instead, Douglas repeatedly asked to make a telephone call to his family before being placed in the lockups.

Kishore identified three ranks involved in the confrontation as an officer named Green, a heavy-set officer and a sergeant wearing a white belt, whom he described as a traffic police sergeant.

He recalled that Douglas had initially complied with the ranks when they approached him in the unmarked vehicle. However, when he was subsequently instructed to remove his clothing before being placed in the lockups, Douglas reportedly refused and remained in the cell wearing his own clothes.

Kishore said Douglas continued asking to contact his mother.

He alleged that within an hour of their arrival at the station, four policemen retrieved four tasers from a cupboard and used electrical wiring to tie Douglas’s hands behind his back.

Kishore, who said he was seated near the sergeant’s office, where the station’s digital video recorder (DVR) system is located, recalled hearing Douglas shouting from the back of the building.

However, he said the shouting suddenly stopped.

Within approximately 20 minutes, Douglas was dead.

Terence Kishore

Kishore alleged that four officers armed with tasers were directly involved in restraining Douglas. He further claimed that after the incident, the uniforms of some ranks were stained with blood and human waste.

According to him, a member of the station’s store was subsequently called to bring replacement jerseys for the officers. He described the clothing as a white jersey, a red jersey for the sergeant, another white jersey and a black jersey with a design for a younger rank.

Kishore also alleged that the sergeant spent approximately 25 minutes alone in the office housing the DVR system before the station commander arrived.

He claimed that more than 13 cameras were installed around the building and could provide evidence of what transpired.

Meanwhile, Reanna said when she arrived at the station to check on her brother, she immediately sensed that something was wrong.

“One officer came out back and told them, ‘Come, get the vehicle moving… I can’t wait,’” she recalled. “Right away, I had a feeling something happened to my brother.”

Moments later, an ambulance reportedly left the compound with its sirens blaring. Kishore, meanwhile, said he saw Douglas being taken out through the back of the station in a van.

At the West Demerara Regional Hospital, relatives were reportedly informed that Douglas was already dead when he was brought in by police ranks.

“They just brought him on the stretcher… left him there, said he was a junkie who had no family, and went back to the station,” Reanna alleged.

She also rejected any suggestion that her brother had died while receiving medical attention.

Photographs and videos circulating on social media, which relatives said they later viewed and recognised as showing Douglas’s body, appeared to show marks of violence.

The family said their ordeal continued when they returned to the station seeking answers about what had happened.

According to Reanna, ranks refused to account for her brother’s gold jewellery and cash, and handed over only the key to his vehicle before locking the station compound gates against the relatives.

“They aren’t telling my mother anything… they aren’t giving any answers. Right now, it looks like they’re cooking up stories on what to tell the media,” she told Kaieteur News.

The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has since commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Douglas’s death.

In a statement, the GPF said Douglas was arrested in connection with an alleged robbery under arms committed on October 28 at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop.

Police stated that Douglas was escorted to the station at 11:36 hrs. and subsequently became aggressive and resisted ranks while being placed in the lockups at approximately 12:00 hrs.

According to the police, he was restrained and, during a subsequent check at 12:45 hrs., was observed frothing at the mouth. He was then rushed to the hospital.

A post-mortem examination is scheduled to determine the official cause of death.

Douglas’s relatives and eyewitness Kishore have indicated that they intend to closely monitor the investigation and post-mortem proceedings, insisting that the circumstances surrounding his death must be fully explained and that those responsible, if any wrongdoing is established, must be held accountable.

Source: Kaieteur News