Outrage over death of man in police custody

…Govt. promises thorough probe, family, opposition demand answers 

… eyewitness details chilling account

(Kaieteur News) – Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond has promised a thorough and impartial investigation into the death of 32-year-old Gavin Kennard Douglas in police custody, as his grieving family and political figures demand full transparency and an independent inquiry.

The family of Douglas, a labourer of Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara, is demanding accountability from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) following his death at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station on Saturday, October 31.

In an official video statement addressing the incident, Minister Walrond offered her condolences and assured the public that the matter would be treated with urgency.

Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond

“I want to address the death of Gavin Douglas following his detention at the Vreed en Hoop police station,” Minister Walrond stated. “First, I extend my condolences to his family and loved ones. I recognize the pain they are experiencing and importantly their need for answers. Any death involving a person in the custody of the state is a serious matter. When someone is taken into police custody, the state assumes a responsibility for that person’s safety and well-being. I am aware of the allegations that have been made concerning the circumstances surrounding Mr. Douglas’s death.”

She emphasised that the claims surrounding the incident would not be ignored.

“Those allegations are serious and cannot be dismissed,” Walrond said. “At the same time, we must allow the evidence to establish exactly what occurred. The Office of Professional Responsibility has commenced an investigation and I expect that investigation to be thorough, impartial and conducted with urgency. There must be accountability wherever the evidence leads. If wrongdoing is established, appropriate action must follow. The public and most importantly Mr. Douglas’s family deserve the truth about what happened. That is what the investigative process must now establish. I want to assure Mr. Douglas’s family and the people of Guyana that this matter will be treated with the seriousness it demands. The facts must be established, accountability must follow wherever wrongdoing is proven and justice must be allowed to take its course.”

Speaking with Kaieteur News, Douglas’ sister, Reanna Douglas, described her brother as a hardworking man who was devoted to his family.

Reanna Douglas and her now deceased brother in happier times

“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.”

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. However, the family’s account of what transpired at the facility differs significantly from the official explanation provided by law enforcement.

Terence Kishore, 57, who was taken into custody alongside Douglas on New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, at approximately 11:20 hrs. on October 31, provided an eyewitness account to Big Smith News Watch. Referencing Douglas affectionately as “Tall Man,” Kishore stated that upon arriving at the station, both men were seated near the sergeant’s office. He noted that Douglas had not surrendered his vehicle, been searched, or handed over his phone and personal belongings, but instead repeatedly requested to call his family.

Kishore identified three ranks involved in the confrontation as an officer named Green, a heavy-set officer, and a traffic police sergeant wearing a white belt. He recalled that Douglas initially complied with the ranks in the unmarked vehicle, but when instructed to remove his clothing before entering the lockups, Douglas refused and remained in the cell wearing his own clothes while asking to contact his mother.

Kishore alleged that within an hour of their arrival, four policemen retrieved four tasers from a cupboard and used electrical wiring to tie Douglas’s hands behind his back. Seated near the sergeant’s office where the station’s digital video recorder (DVR) system is housed, Kishore recalled hearing Douglas shouting from the back of the building before the noise suddenly stopped. Within approximately 20 minutes, Douglas was dead.

Terence Kishore

Kishore further claimed that four officers armed with tasers were directly involved in restraining Douglas, and that following the incident, the uniforms of some ranks were stained with blood and human waste. He stated that a member of the station’s store was called to bring replacement jerseys, including a white jersey, a red jersey for the sergeant, another white jersey, and a black jersey with a design for a younger rank.

Additionally, Kishore alleged that the sergeant spent approximately 25 minutes alone in the office housing the DVR system before the station commander arrived, noting that more than 13 cameras installed around the building could provide critical evidence.

Reanna Douglas recalled that when she arrived at the station to check on her brother, she immediately sensed 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 left the compound with its sirens blaring. Kishore noted seeing Douglas taken out through the back of the station in a van. At the West Demerara Regional Hospital, relatives were informed that Douglas was already dead upon arrival.

“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, rejecting any suggestion that her brother died while receiving medical attention.

Relatives who viewed photographs and videos circulating on social media stated that the body of Douglas showed clear marks of violence. Reanna added that when relatives returned to the station seeking answers, ranks refused to account for her brother’s gold jewellery and cash, handed over only his car keys, and locked the compound gates against them.

“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 stated.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) stated that Douglas was arrested in connection with an alleged robbery under arms committed on October 28 at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop. According to the police, Douglas was escorted to the station at 11:36 hrs., became aggressive, and resisted ranks while being placed in the lockups at approximately 12:00 hrs. Police claimed he was restrained and was later observed frothing at the mouth during a check at 12:45 hrs before being rushed to the hospital. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled to determine the cause of death.

Independent inquiry

In response to the tragedy, leader for Forward Guyana Movement, Amanza Walton issued a press statement calling for an independent investigation beyond the police force’s internal channels. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the death of Gavin Kennard Douglas, a 32-year-old man who entered the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station alive on Saturday 31st October, 2026 and died while in police custody. By the Guyana Police Force’s own account, Mr. Douglas was taken to the station at about 11:36 hrs. was restrained by ranks at about 12:00 hrs. after allegedly resisting, and was found frothing at the mouth in the lockups at about 12:45 hrs. He died at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. Whatever he was accused of, Gavin Douglas was presumed innocent. He was in the custody of the state, which owed him a duty to protect his life and his welfare. Nothing the police have said so far explains how a man in their care was found in medical distress less than an hour after they say they restrained him. I extend my deepest condolences to his family, who deserve the truth and not a press release.”

Amanza Walton, Leader of FGM

Walton Desir criticised the reliance on the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) to lead the inquiry.

“The investigation into his death cannot be left to the police,” she continued. “The Office of Professional Responsibility is a unit of the Guyana Police Force, sitting within the same chain of command as the ranks whose conduct is in question. That is the police investigating themselves, and no family nor the Guyanese public can be expected to accept its conclusions. Article 154A of the Constitution requires the rights recognised in the treaties listed in the Fourth Schedule, among them the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, to be respected and upheld by every organ and agency of Government. Article 6 of the Covenant protects the right to life, and Article 12 of the Convention requires a prompt and impartial investigation wherever there are reasonable grounds to believe that an act of torture has been committed, and Article 16 extends that obligation to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Whatever the investigation ultimately finds, it cannot be impartial while the Force is left to sit in judgment on itself.”

Addressing the minister’s response directly, Walton Desir argued that political responsibility required concrete actions rather than passive assurances. Concluding her statement, Walton Desir outlined specific demands for the handling of the case.

“I therefore call on the Government of President Irfaan Ali to remove this investigation from the Office of Professional Responsibility and place it with a body independent of the Guyana Police Force,” she urged. “A coroner’s inquest must be held promptly. The family must be permitted an independent pathologist at the post mortem.

Both Douglas’s relatives and Kishore have stated that they intend to closely monitor all upcoming legal and post-mortem proceedings to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

Source: Kaieteur News