Police Commission (ag) Leroy Brumell say the shooting to death of three protesters at Linden on July 18, 2012 was unjustified.

The commissioner was at the time facing the Linden Commission of Inquiry which opened today, Monday, September 24 at the Supreme Court library.

In his statement to the commission, the acting commissioner says the use of lethal force by the police was unjustified.

He also, in responding to questions posed by attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes says he is unaware of the decision to shoot being a directive from the home affairs minister.

Hughes pursued a line of questions seeking to establish a phone conversation between the home affairs minister and the divisional commander at that time, Carl Hicken and was interrupted by the commission which sought to query whether he would also establish the content of so called phone call.

In his response he expressed an intention to do so, when the home affairs minister and Hicken are placed on the stand.

Brumell also told the commission of the police being pelted with bricks and bottles and were asked if there was evidence of such, to which he responded in the affirmative.

He was then told to submit the evidence before the commission.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of the proceedings this morning, attorney for the APNU Basil Williams made a submission that the there be a stay of the work of the body so that his party and government could come to an agreement for the inclusion of the events of August 2 and 10 in the terms of reference for the Commission.

But Chairman of the commission Justice Lensley Wolfe pointed out that they could not do anything about the TORs until they were advised by those responsible for the setting up the body.

Wolfe also dismissed the APNU’s objection to the two counsels appointed to the Commission.

The APNU is contending that the men were connected to the private chambers of the Attorney General.

However the chairman said he does not see this as a serious problem if a problem at all.

Meanwhile, AFC’s Nigel Hughes noted that his party had secured the services of a UK-based ballistics expert and were therefore seeking the Commission’s permission to have him enter evidence.

Hughes request was granted.

The commission will reconvene tomorrow morning as the hearing continue.

I'm sure the conclusion will be lawlessness from the protestors and over-reaction from the police resulted in the unfortunate incident.

That would be bullshit baseman.

The questions remain:

Why were live rounds in the gun?

Who gave the order to shoot live rounds?

Those are the questions needing answers.

In the end, the conclusion would be aggressive and threatening protestors and over anxious police officers.  Both side will get a reprimand.

Given the presence of certain terrorist extremist elements in the crowds, the police were within their rights to have some live rounds.  However, this should never had been their first course of action.

Given the looting and burning of private and Govt property after, it's clear these protestors were aggressive.

Your racist nature will demand this.  The Jamaicans know full well that when tires are burning in the streets that the police do not usually respond with gunfire...this in a country way more violent than Guyana.

The Jamaicans will laugh when told that the crowd used foul language and refused to obey orders and so were shot.

In the interim not only is the very top cop saying that the shooting wa sunjustified, but he is also saying that Rohee has a habit of going behind his back and chatting with the lower ranks, w/o briefing him afterwards.

And the water cannon?

You into water sports? Kinky..

let face it guys this is all a window dressing for the guyanese people and the caribbean,if the goverment have to charge these police officers for murder then the ppp governmnet is finish the government rule on the strengh of the police to carry out their unlawfull acts when their is a protest and the police refuse to shot the people because they will be charge then think what will happen to this government

Lets hold our horses and let the Commission of Inquiry, do its job

Throw Rohee under the bus and all will be forgiven.

It's the same holding of the horses that made  two of the three ranks in the Agricola shooting incident now declared Awol.  Alyuh find them yet, last word is they may already be out of the jurisdiction.

The question was already answered who shot the live rounds. It is suspected that the rabble rousers had their agents shoot the protesters and blame the police in order to accelerate the slow fiah mo fiah reaction. These people are shrewd, just like the ones that killed the US ambassador. 

Every one knows who shot the people.  The police already admitted this.  The top cop said that the officer in charge is a short and hot tempered man who issued the order.

Drugs doesnt agree with you so you really should stop doing it.

He probably heard some ole hippies and rastas say "that's some good shit man" so he went out and got himself a bowlful of sheep shit, took a few puffs and voila, shit speweth forth.

Nonsense, go read the autopsy report by the Trinidadian expert, he said that the shots were from revolvers, not shotgun pellets. The PNC/AFC had their agents do the wicked deed in order to frame police. 

Its inconceivable to think, the police would shoot live rounds at a crowd,its becoming clearer to believe, opponents of the state were among the protesters hell bent on creating mischief.

It has been revealed that Rohee gave a direct order to the lower ranks to shoot.

Mitwah, don't come here to spread false propaganda,

You got that right.

You sure what the man said is propaganda?

Come on Mits, unconcious is correct, leave the false propaganda for the PPP posters, that's their job.

False propaganda = Truth.

THe phone records will be submitted into evidence to show Rohee made the calls just prior to shootings at the moment the camera was turned off.

Did you not attend the enquiry?

Mitwah, you seems to be drawing your own conclusions, I told you over and over to hold your horses and allow the commission to do their work......

Commission hears about Rohee bypassing Top Cop and calling junior ranks

By Latoya Giles

Acting Police Commissioner of Police Leroy Brumell has admitted to the commission that although he would have meetings with the Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, the minister would at times bypass him and directly contact junior ranks.
The hearing into the Commission of Inquiry, for the shooting to death of three protestors at Linden started yesterday morning. Justice Lensley Wolfe O.J., Mr. K.D. Knight S.C and Ms. Dana Seetahal S.C along with Guyana’s former Court of Appeal Judge, Claudette Singh, CCH and Cecil Kennard were all present.
The commissioner at the time was being cross examined by attorney at law Nigel Hughes who is representing the interest of the victims.
Hughes yesterday put to the commissioner that Minister Rohee had bypassed him and had called the divisional commander Clifton Hicken less than 45 minutes before the shooting, before the police had sought to use deadly force at the Mackenzie Bridge. According to the lawyer he  intends to establish that there was contact between Rohee and the commander discussing the use of force.
The commissioner was asked whether meetings between the minister and him are recorded or if they would have minutes. According to the commissioner they were some recordings and correspondence.  Hughes then asked the commissioner if he had met with the minister prior to the July 18, 2012 shooting.
Brumell said that he met with the Minister on July 17, 2012 in his office and there is no record of the meeting. The commissioner further told the inquiry that he did not brief the minister with the intelligence information he received. The commissioner was then asked if the minister has direct communication with ranks below him. According to Brumell the minister would call the ranks and it’s a practice which has been ongoing for some time.
He was then asked if he knew the minister’s cell phone number, to which Hughes called out. He admitted that he knew the number. Hughes then asked the commissioner if prior to the shooting he received a call from the minister and answered in the positive. The commissioner was asked if the minister requested Commander Hickens’s cell number. According to Brumell he could not recall.
The question was put to the commissioner about whether he had knowledge about a call which was placed by the minister between 5:15 pm to 5:55 pm to the commander’s phone. Brumell said he did not know about that. Hughes further put to the commissioner whether it would be correct to say that you never investigated whether the minister gave direct instruction to the ranks. The commissioner said he did not do so. He was asked if he checked the commander’s phone records, to which he said no.
Brumell was then asked if he was aware that commander Hickens was accused of using excessive force in the past. “Are you talking about Buxton…” the commissioner asked and the lawyer said he was not talking about that. According to the commissioner, Hickens told him that the ranks used pellets and tear gas.
Hughes further asks the commissioner if he has seen any reports on the shooting and he said that he had not received any reports of the Linden Shooting incident, since the investigation is still incomplete. Brumell said that he expects the file on the completion of the report. According to the commissioner no one in Linden was cooperating with the police.
Moreover the commissioner said that the video recording of the Linden incident by the police did not capture actual shooting by Police. He said that video ended as shooting started. Brumell said that he was told that there was “some difficulty” which caused the camera not to capture that part.
“The camera did not capture that part, the footage is about 15 minutes long and the video was just showing the backs of the officers” Brumell told the inquiry. However the same video that only showed the backs of the officers, has shown the persons who were allegedly throwing missiles at the police, Brumell said. The commissioner is to make that video tape available to the court today.
Brumell was then asked if the police have a procedure of the use of lethal force in the Guyana Police Force, and he said no. There was a loud heckle from the persons who were present. Brumell was then asked about a statement which was made by the Crime Chief that the fragments from the bullets were not from the police. The commissioner said he knew nothing about that. According to the commissioner the statement was wrong, but he never placed a disclaimer. He was then asked if the crime scene ranks visited the scene, and according to Brumell the ranks did so.
Hughes further asked if the crime scene ranks recreated the event to determine where the exact location the shots were fired from was and where the persons were standing on the bridge, he said he was working on it. The commissioner was then asked if his ranks could determine the distance from where the persons were shot.  According to Brumell his ranks are trained to determine that.
He was then asked if his force had a forensic capability, the commissioner could not say. The commissioner has promised to bring several documents and videotaping concerning the shooting today when the inquiry continues.

Mitwah, stop cutting and paste  and blog your own thoughts, if any

So Unconcious, neva mind holding your horses, jus hold your horses lolo, yu'll be well loved for doing this, ask BJ.

HAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, you rass gotta be kidding about cut an paste, HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"cain" you never cease to amazed the blogs, always out of context

Mitwah, you seems to be drawing your own conclusions, I told you over and over to hold your horses and allow the commission to do their work......

That's your contribution this evening?

Explain this.

"cain" you have a problem sticking to the thread...

For a Doctor your English is asstrocius.

You got a problem stickin it in nuh?

The outcome of the inquiry, who knows, may expose the devious schemes the opponents of the state were operating from.....one can vividly remember the infamous X-13 Plan

Your thought is in khorhee rent. Watch your english there Doc.

Now, where did I ever invoke "race".

And police men asked how come one of their ranks was armed with this.

Are you also accusing the police of being too incompetent to see where the shots were coming from and to immediately deal with the shooter?  I mean there were loads of police men at the location.

Any way the Top Cop YESTERDAY blamed a short and hot tempered man for issuing the order and also complained that Rohee talks to people lower in rank w/o briefing him.  I guess his excuse if it turns out that the order was not given by some one in Linden.

You always state race and then run and hide.  Like you expressed hope that the Buxton kid would not be exposed to black racists and then  pretended as if you didnt inject race into the discussion.

More nonsense, Top cop stated yesterday that no evidence exist that show that police shoot. In fact no witness came forward either. That's because it was PNC/AFC agents who did the evil deed. Hence no match to police guns with the bullets retrieved.