The Guyana Police Force has launched an investigation into the deaths of a cop and a civilian, who were killed during a shooting incident which occurred at Huntley, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara on New Year’s Day: Sunday, January 1, 2023.
This shooting incident occurred during the wee hours of New Year’s Day at Huntley Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, and involved 31-year-old Detective Corporal Dwayne McPherson, who had been stationed at the Mahaicony Police Station, and 20-year-old fisherman Kishan Budburgh of Grove, Huntley, Mahaicony. Reports are that the Policeman was shot twice, and the fisherman was shot some four times.
The Police Force did not reveal details surrounding the incident, other than to say that at least two cops have since been arrested and have been placed in custody to assist with the investigations.
The late Kishan Budburg’s brother, Anthony Budburgh, has said he witnessed the shooting. According to the 23-year-old, he and his 14-year-old brother were at home with the late Kishan prior to the shooting.
He said five of the Budburgh brothers were at a bar in the village when an issue developed over the throwing of ‘explosives’. One of his brothers was injured in that incident, and a fight ensued. The brothers left for home, but two of the five were arrested by Police before they got there.
According to Anthony, the Police were trying to arrest everyone involved, and they had threatened to shoot, but he, Kishan, and his 14-year-old brother had managed to run away from the scene.
“We come home here, and my brother lie down and I did not know that he was bleeding from the fight. I help him, and then I go upstairs,” Anthony Budburgh related.
He said that shortly after he went into the house, the Police arrived. “They come and start knocking up on the wall, and they call out everybody. We come outside. The Police come and hold on (to) me brother and hunching him with the gun and lashing and boxing me brother. My brother hold on to him (Police), and all two of them fall down.”
Anthony Budburgh has claimed that another Police rank fired shots from his firearm in the direction that he was standing. “My other brother duck, and the shot miss he too. When he (Police rank) see the two of them (Kishan and the Police rank he was holding on to) on the ground, he start firing shots on the two of them. The other Police saying to shoot between the two of them.”
“After he finish shooting them, he still come and firing shots on we; we had to run. If we didn’t run, we would have get shoot too!” Anthony Budburgh is contending.
When this publication visited the scene, there were holes in both wooden and concrete walls of the Budburgh home. Family members are contending that those holes were made by bullets fired by the Police rank. One of those bullets penetrated a concrete wall and made its way into the kitchen of the Budburghs’ home.
Anthony Budburgh has said he and his 14-year-old brother hid in the bushes and saw when the Police ranks removed the body of the injured cop moments after they had fired shots at the cop and his brother Kishan.
“We deh in the bush watching from deh – hiding. We can’t come out; we frighten that they could shoot we,” Anthony Budburgh has said. According to him, three Police ranks had gone to their premises, and two were armed with rifles.
At that time, no one knew that Kishan Budburgh had been shot. Their mother returned home at about 01:30h and heard groaning, and upon investigating, she discovered that it was her son who was groaning. She hurried to get a taxi to take him to the hospital, but none was available. The woman reportedly went to the Police station, and left after receiving no help.
Efforts to get an ambulance proved futile, as the hospital reportedly did not have anyone to drive it. Eventually she got a taxi, but by that time her son Kishan Budburgh had passed away.
This shooting incident reportedly occurred at about 12:30h, and the injured Policeman was removed shortly after, while Kishan Budburgh’s body was removed at about 17:00h, family members have said.
Kishan Budburgh leaves to mourn eleven siblings and his parents.
