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Seawall bandits were most likely executed – And this is how it all happened

 
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(Opinion) – The killing of Errol “Dynamite” Adams, Dextroy “Dutty” Cordis, and Kwame Assanah, three suspected bandits at the Georgetown seawall on Thursday, had taken centre stage in the news for most of that day, and the next 24 hours thereafter.

As a matter of fact, every media house in Guyana practically carried the same chronicle of events regarding the story.

This was mainly because immediately after the shooting, the police had sent out a press release which provided a patterned version of what had lead to the demise of the three men.

No other direct or any real piece of investigative information was available at the time.

But even so, there are now some elements of the police’s report that were contested by family members of those killed, while various theories now abound in the public domain, relating to the true circumstances that had led to the death of the three suspected bandits

In the police version of events, the men had trailed a customer who had just left a city bank and then attempted to rob him/her during a premature stop that was made by the said customer on the Georgetown Seawall.

For most of us, the police version of the events seems pretty straightforward and consistent with the normal intents of bandits these days.

However, at the request of more than a dozen of our readers, the Guyana Guardian decided that we had to take a closer look at the incident, certainly with no prejudice.

So with the support of a retired Scotland Yard crime scene analyst, and two former detectives of the Guyana Police Force, we were able to reconstruct a possible theory on how the incident must have had unfolded, leading up to the death of the three suspects.

And our opining chronology of the incident are as follow;

8:14 am – 57-year-old Errol Adams entered the bank with the intention of scouting customers who may be making large withdrawals and looks vulnerable.

To avoid suspicion, he would have most likely made an inquiry that would require him to wait in a seating area that would have provided a reasonable view of the counters, in addition to clear audio of the money counting machines.

It is more than likely that he was making his second or third visit to the bank to do the same thing and was already flagged by bank security who notified police of their suspicions.

Hence, a sting operation would have been set up, and which entails an undercover policeman pretending to make a large withdrawal in as much that Adams would have heard the intensified counting that was being done by the machines.

Once the undercover cop seemed like an appropriate victim, Adams would have sent a text to his accomplices and notify them of a potential target.

Interestingly, the bank security cameras would have already zoomed in on his phone screen, and thus allowing them to confirm that the robbery of a customer is being planned.

The bank would have then passed that information to the police, and a full-scale operation would have gone into effect.

8:27 am – The undercover cop departed the bank with a large bag that appeared to be full of cash and entered an unmarked vehicle which already had another cop, fully armed, sitting in the back seat.

The undercover cop then drove off and was instructed by his colleagues to take the car to seawall close to police headquarters at Eve Leary and away from full public view.

This advice was heeded and the undercover cop is en route to the sea walls with the would-be-robbers, namely Adams and Assanah, in tow.

Two additional accomplices on a motorcycle are noticed but are intended to serve as transit collection agents after the robbery, so as to ensure that the money is shuttled safely (even in dense traffic) to a previously agreed location.
Hence, they would have had to wait at a pick-up point, that was close to dense traffic, and had no need to follow the targeted car.

8:41 – The targeted car with the undercover cop and presumed cash turns to the direction of the seawall via High Street Kingston and passes police headquarters, while Assanah who was the driver of the trailing car followed closely.

8:43 – As if it wanted to make an unplanned stop, the car with the undercover cop slowly came to a halt on the seawall, in the vicinity of the Guyana National Service Ground, with driver window down.

In that way, the trailing bandits would assume that the driver was alone and would be encouraged by the fact that they have a clear view of him.

Figuring that was their opportunity, Adams must have instructed Assanah to stop their car next to the targeted vehicle, from where they could have seen the driver possibly on his cell phone looking vulnerable and unaware for what was about to happen.

Thereafter, Adams then exited their vehicle with a previously concealed gun and pointed it to the driver, while demanding that he hand over the bag with the cash.

But he did not knew that there was a fully armed cop in the backseat, and who was concealed by the tinted back windows.

So while he was focused on the driver to give him the bag that was resting in the front passenger seat, the cop in the back seat fired a rung from a high caliber weapon which was possibly nozzle above a window crease, hitting Adams in the head at point-blank range, and killing him almost instantly.

At about the same time, the driver quickly unveils and pointed a gun to Assanah who was still sitting in the driver seat, and ordered him out of his car, while alerting him that he is a cop.

Assanah being unharmed and realizing that their planned robbery was botched, eagerly comply and exited his vehicle.

The cops then came out of their car, arrested Assanah and implored him to call his accomplices that were initially trailing them on a bike, or he can risk being shot.

8:46 – Adams possibly agreed and therefore called the pick-up men with the bike, while giving them the impression that the robbery was successful and that they should come to the sea wall instead and pick up the cash.

Once the call was completed, the cops would have then placed Assanah in the back seat of their car and guarded him while they lay waited on his accomplices on the bike to arrive.

8:51 – Accomplices arrived at the scene on bike and Cordis who was the pillow rider came off of the motorcycle and was visibly dismayed when he saw Adams bloodstained body on the ground.

But the rider of the bike became suspicious and immediately left the scene, practically within seconds of arriving.
At about the same time, the cops in the other car came out and shot Taylor in the upper region of his body, and he quickly fell to the ground, fatally wounded.

Removing a shocked Assanah from their car, they would have then pointed a gun at his head while he pleaded for his life to be spared.

Seconds later, a shot rang out, and a bullet pierced his skull, sending him crashing to the ground like the two men before him.

8:54 – The scene was then staged to appear as if two or three rounds were fired from the gun that was being carried by Adams.

For the two undercover cops, putting the men on trial would have offered no guarantee of a conviction for criminals that ought to be off of the streets.

In their view, executing them was certainly the best option since it will send a clear message to others, and possibly bring an end to a long list of after bank robberies.

8:58 – Senior investigators descended upon the scene, and advised the two undercover cops to leave.

9:34 – A press release is prepared and reviewed by the senior operatives of the Guyana Police Force.

10:14 am – the Press release was sent off to the various media houses, as the process of shaping public opinion began.

⊕ Conclusion

While the above is nothing more than the reconstructed theory of three respected retired detectives, the chronology of events is not necessarily one to believe.

But then again, if there was a shootout, why were all of the men shot in the head at point-blank range?

Who was the person or persons that were being trailed from the bank, and why did the police choose to simply send them away without taking a detailed statement?

If the men on the bike that had came after the first shooting had ended, carried no weapon (according to the police), then why was one of them still shot in the head and chest at point-blank range?

Why two of the men that were killed (in the big shootout) fell so close to the car, but yet not a single gunshot mark was on the said car?

A picture can tell a thousand words.

And from the looks of the entire cache of crime scene photographs that were provided by the police and the public at large, a retired Scotland Yard detective (asked for name to be withheld) is adamant that the crime scene is telling a completely different story from what is being told by the police.

In his opinion, while there might be no doubt that the men were probably in the process of committing a crime, there is no assuring theory that any of the men had engaged the police.

In his view, the men were possibly summarily executed.

Interestingly, one of two retired detectives from the Guyana Police Force admitted that from his experience, the crime scene indeed seems to be one that was staged.

However, I am not the expert here.

For me, I offer no sympathy for many of the resulting endgames for criminals who prey upon the innocence of the public.

But at the same time, I do not support extrajudicial killings in any form.

That being said, I will urge the Guyana Police Force to formulate a much better story, so that we the members of the public can have a rather satisfactory explanation as to what had really happened during their confrontation (if any) with the three suspected bandits at the Georgetown Seawall, on Thursday.

About the Author: Dennis E. Adonis is an investigative writer at the world’s most powerful news blog – the Huffington Post, and also serves as the Editor in Chief at the Guyana Guardian. He has written more than 20 published books.


 

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Ow Gad meh Pickney Prapa good, he never do anything wrand dem Police bad, Ask Father Willis he ah guh ah chuch everyy week, he ah wan good good Pickney.

Then the Mudda slip up, ow meh gaad ah weh meh gun get the millions he used to bring home now i will not get enough to go to TT and Barbados !!!

Nehru
Nehru posted:

Ow Gad meh Pickney Prapa good, he never do anything wrand dem Police bad, Ask Father Willis he ah guh ah chuch everyy week, he ah wan good good Pickney.

Then the Mudda slip up, ow meh gaad ah weh meh gun get the millions he used to bring home now i will not get enough to go to TT and Barbados !!!

Dem is innocent virgins bai. 

FM

The Story Within The Story… Three dead men, intelligence gathering and affected families.

By Leonard Gildarie

Leonard Gildarie

On Thursday, just after lunch, I was on the East Coast when I received a call. Somebody was killed on the seawall near Eve Leary. I did not pay much attention as in the newspaper business, these incidents are “normal”.

But then the phone starting ringing incessantly. It was three bodies.

I hurriedly ended my engagement and raced to the scene. The area around the Kitty pump station at the head of Vlissengen Road was blocked, with a policeman directing traffic.

With the Eve Leary side blocked too, I headed into GNS Sports Club which overlooks the seawall. There were three bodies on the ground, two on the seawall road and one in the grass nearby, and the initial indications were that the men were executed by some men who sped off.

There were some Brazilians who were playing football on the GNS ground who fled after the gunshots. It was “big guns” that were being used.

The police in a subsequent statement were quick to point out that surveillance and collaboration played a role in taking down a gang that was responsible for a spate of robberies of customers leaving the bank.

The police disclosed that they had operatives performing duties in the vicinity of Scotia Bank on Robb Street.

It appeared that a suspicious car was seen leaving the area and following a customer leaving the bank. The “customer” went to the seawall and was about to be accosted by the men in the suspicious car when police rolled up and in the ensuing “shootout”, three men were dead. They were all known characters.

Police said they recovered a pistol, a supernumerary precept, one driver’s licence, ten passports belonging to one of the men and family members, a key used by trunkers, two handcuff keys, a bandana and clothing.

There are several worrying things, and of course some positive aspects about this particular incident.

For a number of years now, customers leaving the commercial banks were being robbed. Quite a number of persons were killed. In most of the cases, the customers were followed to their homes and accosted after a large sum was withdrawn.

A number of them would bear the scars of gunshots, after surviving the ordeal.

In the beginning, the fingers were pointing to bank staffers being involved. Police were unable to make much headway.

Questioned recently, the Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, disclosed that police were taking a number of actions, including sting operations. There was laughter at Ramjattan.

Who would signal to the bad boys of an impending action to catch you?

Perhaps now, the police and Ramjattan will both have the last laugh.

The police said that surveillance and collaboration played a role in Thursday’s apprehension of the gang.

Robb Street is a busy area near China Trading and Scotia Bank. For the cops to be able to notice a suspicious car and spring an operation which saw backups converging to the seawall, speaks of a force that is improving in performance.

My father as a policeman died in the course of duty in the 1980s when I was just six.

There has perhaps never been a more harsh critic of the police than myself.

But I would be burying my head in the sand if I didn’t admit that we have done so much better in recent years. Quite a number of cold cases were cracked and investigations in some others solved a number of murders that would otherwise have remained in dust, locked in a drawer somewhere.

Training and the intervention of overseas donors, a clear crime-fighting strategy and the weeding out of bad cops, have been improving the morale of the police by leaps and bounds.

Daily, there are traffic checkpoints in the city and on the East Bank Demerara.

I am more than 80 percent of the times stopped and asked to pull into the corner. I am not sure if it is racial profiling and the fact that I look like an easy target.

The courtesy of the young police ranks is heartening, never mind some of them greeting you with the long-time-no-see smile. Some would pointedly state they have been on duty for hours. Really?

I would help sometimes with a few juices, there is nothing wrong. Other times, I end the conversation quickly and give my card, and encourage to call if any story breaks. The smiles would end quickly.

But, overall, yes, we have been improving in leaps in bounds.

We could not help but take note of the police statement of Thursday’s incident, which gave credence to surveillance and collaboration.

We have to find ways to really make inroads into community policing. That is the way to help weed out crime. Everybody knows which yard is the ganja yard or who doing the ‘dutty’ things.

We have to find ways to have businesses be more vigilant and continue efforts on all fronts to reduce our cash transactions. There are few things more attractive than cash for robbers.

There is another side of this affair that has been nagging me over the years. As a country, we are small and considered now as a developing nation. Our human resources remain the biggest value for this country. It aches my heart when we have our people taken early, where they are career criminals or accident victims and snatched early. I often wonder how families pick themselves up and move on.

Three men were killed Thursday. They all have family – brothers, sisters, children, parents and of course, friends.

The social media responses were swift. Guyanese were tired of the robberies. But still, I think of the families, the little children who are affected. Family members and friends must have known what the men were up to. We have lives torn apart by their selfish acts. We have victims of robberies celebrating. It is a bitter-sweet time for us. But it should worry us as a people too.

Django

Django, Yuh tink dem holy and church bais like that UG bai with good wuk at Agriculture who rob de bank foh money foh buy plane ticket foh see he Russian gyal fren? Ow, he was nice innocent bai too. 

FM

I am more than 80 percent of the times stopped and asked to pull into the corner. I am not sure if it is racial profiling and the fact that I look like an easy target.

Racial profiling in Guyana???? and by the Police!

Anyway, too little too late, they must investigate the bank employees, it is stated several times that they have a hand in the robbery, employees would TEXT the amount withdrawn to the bandits outside.

K
Labba posted:

Django, Yuh tink dem holy and church bais like that UG bai with good wuk at Agriculture who rob de bank foh money foh buy plane ticket foh see he Russian gyal fren? Ow, he was nice innocent bai too. 

Dem boys with suit,tie and educated are big time thiefman,wipe dem out.

That adonis fella the writer can write wan novel about the new breed of robbers.

Django
Last edited by Django
skeldon_man posted:
Baseman posted:
warrior posted:

who cares kill them all 

My sentiments too. PNC just lost 3 votes!!

Shoot down those parasites and ask questions later. TAKE NO PRISONERS.

Police putting their lives at risk, granger setting criminals free.  At least he can’t bring them back from the dead!!   Yea, Take no prisoners!

FM

The biggest question here is why did the person after leaving the bank went straight to the seawall and off all other activities around that bank, the police decided to follow this particular car following that particular customer.

FM
ksazma posted:

The biggest question here is why did the person after leaving the bank went straight to the seawall and off all other activities around that bank, the police decided to follow this particular car following that particular customer.

Trap!!  They fell for it.  Kudos to the police!  Looks like police had them on their radar. 

FM

Kudos to the police in eradicating these criminals.

I read an article where upon arriving at the scene, senior ranks immediately asked junior ranks to leave so that they can complete their task and they exterminated these criminals.

Looks like a few in the junior ranks are working working in tandem with some of these criminals.

I also read where some are calling for an inquiry, what a waste of time. Guyanese can go about their banking activities with less fear of being robbed or killed.

In the meanwhile, Ramjattan has yet to come up with a comprehensive crime fighting strategy. He is now like TK, what if this and what if that. Talk is cheap Mr. Ramjattan, the police force is ready. Is Mr. Ramjattan capable and ready in tackling serious crime ?

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:

The biggest question here is why did the person after leaving the bank went straight to the seawall and off all other activities around that bank, the police decided to follow this particular car following that particular customer.

Trap!!  They fell for it.  

How do you think the person felt confident enough that the trap would work and he would not be endanger himself by going to the seawall. What is it in him to endanger his life to fight crime in Guyana?

FM
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:

The biggest question here is why did the person after leaving the bank went straight to the seawall and off all other activities around that bank, the police decided to follow this particular car following that particular customer.

Trap!!  They fell for it.  

How do you think the person felt confident enough that the trap would work and he would not be endanger himself by going to the seawall. What is it in him to endanger his life to fight crime in Guyana?

Undercover.  Likely also was armed and knew he had police cover!

You ask to many friggin' questions.  You wuss than Don Lemon!

FM
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:

The biggest question here is why did the person after leaving the bank went straight to the seawall and off all other activities around that bank, the police decided to follow this particular car following that particular customer.

Trap!!  They fell for it.  

How do you think the person felt confident enough that the trap would work and he would not be endanger himself by going to the seawall. What is it in him to endanger his life to fight crime in Guyana?

Undercover.  Likely also was armed and knew he had police cover!

You ask to many friggin' questions.  You wuss than Don Lemon!

Bai, there is always a method to my madness. 

If this is an undercover sting, then the accolades that the police are getting is unworthy. Lots of hooligans hang out in Georgetown and it is easy to trap three crooks to follow anyone. If that is what happened here, while it is good that the police eliminated three lowlifes, they don't get any praise because it was done through entrapment.

FM
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:

The biggest question here is why did the person after leaving the bank went straight to the seawall and off all other activities around that bank, the police decided to follow this particular car following that particular customer.

Trap!!  They fell for it.  

How do you think the person felt confident enough that the trap would work and he would not be endanger himself by going to the seawall. What is it in him to endanger his life to fight crime in Guyana?

Undercover.  Likely also was armed and knew he had police cover!

You ask to many friggin' questions.  You wuss than Don Lemon!

Bai, there is always a method to my madness. 

If this is an undercover sting, then the accolades that the police are getting is unworthy. Lots of hooligans hang out in Georgetown and it is easy to trap three crooks to follow anyone. If that is what happened here, while it is good that the police eliminated three lowlifes, they don't get any praise because it was done through entrapment.

Is wuh wrong with yuh.  Like datt homan leaving Fox prapa mess up yuh head!

Entrapment is when you encourage or egg-on someone to commit a crime then arrest them for the crime you encouraged them to commit.

From my understanding, the police was watching them and followed them behind the potential victim who was an undercover.

FM
Baseman posted:

From my understanding, the police was watching them and followed them behind the potential victim who was an undercover.

Bai, yuh duz believe all kinda mek up things. This is a setup between the person and police so their actions are not heroic in its purest term.

FM
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:

From my understanding, the police was watching them and followed them behind the potential victim who was an undercover.

Bai, yuh duz believe all kinda mek up things. This is a setup between the person and police so their actions are not heroic in its purest term.

bet if these bandits had targeted and killed someone else, you would be bitching and moaning bout PNC

FM

Some people see a crime committed  and the first educated comment coming from their mouth is defining the crime politically.  Nothing in this blog is about PNC or PPP maybe one can conclude these criminals were PNC supporters that is more obvious. 

K
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:
ksazma posted:

The biggest question here is why did the person after leaving the bank went straight to the seawall and off all other activities around that bank, the police decided to follow this particular car following that particular customer.

Trap!!  They fell for it.  

How do you think the person felt confident enough that the trap would work and he would not be endanger himself by going to the seawall. What is it in him to endanger his life to fight crime in Guyana?

Undercover.  Likely also was armed and knew he had police cover!

You ask to many friggin' questions.  You wuss than Don Lemon!

Bai, there is always a method to my madness. 

If this is an undercover sting, then the accolades that the police are getting is unworthy. Lots of hooligans hang out in Georgetown and it is easy to trap three crooks to follow anyone. If that is what happened here, while it is good that the police eliminated three lowlifes, they don't get any praise because it was done through entrapment.

The only entrapment that may have occurred is the crook who entrapped the police by pointing a gun at them.

 

Prashad
Riff posted:
ksazma posted:
Baseman posted:

From my understanding, the police was watching them and followed them behind the potential victim who was an undercover.

Bai, yuh duz believe all kinda mek up things. This is a setup between the person and police so their actions are not heroic in its purest term.

bet if these bandits had targeted and killed someone else, you would be bitching and moaning bout PNC

Yuh rass mad or wah? I don’t think I bitch or moan. But I do express my dislike for the PNC.

FM

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