The Lusignan prison dorm engulfed by fire after a riot in July. (Stabroek News file photo)
September 20 ,2020
Two prisoners were fatally shot by guards and five others were wounded after what authorities have described as a riot and attempted breakout at the Lusignan Prison yesterday.
The dead prisoners has been identified as Earl Graham, 51, and Winston Herbert, 21, who police say were among the prisoners shot by guards stationed in the prison’s towers in the midst of a rush towards the main gate.
The shooting capped off hours of protests by inmates over a number of issues, including overcrowding at the facility and the risk of exposure to COVID-19, which were raised earlier in the day when the Home Affairs and Health ministers visited. Overcrowding at the facility has been a longstanding concern.
Graham was serving a three-month sentence for malicious wounding, assault and resisting arrest, while Hilbert was in custody for rape. The identities of the five injured inmates, two of whom were sent to the Georgetown Public Hospital, were not released. They were, however, all reported to be stable.
Just days ago, unrest erupted at the prison after two inmates tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement issued on behalf of the Guyana Prison Service, police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor last evening detailed the genesis of the unrest, which started yesterday morning, around 7.30am, with the refusal by inmates to accept meals from prison staff.
The statement said prison administrators subsequently tried to engage the prisoners on their concerns but they refused and instead demanded to see the Minister of Home Affairs.
According to the authorities, the situation persisted until 12.30 pm, when attempts were made to distribute the lunch and the prisoners continued to refusal and intensified their requests to see the minister.
As a resulting, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony both visited the Holding Bays at Lusignan around 1.15 pm.
“The ministers were loudly cheered and welcomed on entering the facility. They commenced a discussion with nominated representatives of the prisoners from Holding Bay 2. During this engagement all the prisoners appeared calm and those being engaged appeared receptive,” the statement said.
It noted that concerns surrounding extensive timelines between court hearings and remand, among other things, were raised with the ministers, who committed to address those within their portfolio. They, however, also informed the prisoners that the ability to address the issues within the remit of the courts was outside their authority but committed to bringing them to the attention of those with those responsibilities.
Although the response was reported to have been generally well received, the statement said that during the subsequent discussion by the ministers with inmates of Holding Bay 1, some prisoners from Holding Bays 2, 3 and 4 became aggressive and began throwing missiles, which led to the ministers ending the visit and leaving.
“After the Ministers exited the main gate, the situation rapidly degenerated and became riotous with some prisoners scaling the inner fence of the Holding Bay, thus entering the restricted area, and launching attacks on the prison officers within the compound who had to flee to safety,” the statement said.
It added that after the officers left the main compound, the situation rapidly deteriorated into “mass disorder,” with inmates rushing the main gate in a bid to break it. “In response to [the] situation, and in a bid to contain same, ranks posted within the towers discharged several shots in the general direction of the gate which resulted in the injury of seven inmates and restoration of relative calm to the situation,” it said.
The injured prisoners were subsequently attended to by medical personnel on the ground, after which two were sent for further treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Three inmates continued to be attended to at the Lusignan facility, while two were pronounced dead.
A previous riot occurred in July, when inmates set fire to a dorm following a drug seizure. Around a dozen prisoners were subsequently injured while hundreds were dislocated due to the destruction that was caused.
