Hours after police managed to clear the road of debris following two days of protest by residents of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), several villagers have resumed their demonstrations which comprise of blocking the main thoroughfare.
The residents are protesting the killing of 29-year-old Orin Boston, a businessman and father of two who was shot dead during a police operation on Wednesday morning.
INews was reliably informed that a few residents have returned to the street and they are in the process of blocking the roadway with various articles.
Police ranks on the scene are monitoring the situation however the residents are reportedly being aggressive and threatening towards the law enforcement officials.
This publication was told that ranks are maintaining a considerable distance from the residents who are reportedly chasing them with cutlasses if they “get too close”.
Earlier today, the police managed to clear the road of debris after they had reportedly reached a peace deal with the residents.
Boston was shot at around 04:00hrs on Wednesday by the SWAT officers who went to his home during an anti-crime operation in the region. In an official statement, the police said there was a confrontation between the officers and the businessman, during which he was shot. Boston was reportedly shot to the upper left arm with a .223 caliber gun.
During an emergency press conference hosted by senior police officials, it was revealed that the officer who pulled the trigger which resulted in the death of the businessman is under close arrest.
Police Commissioner (ag) Nigel Hoppie assured that a speedy, thorough investigation is underway into the circumstances of the operation. This is being conducted by the Office of Professional Responsibility.
However, family members are demanding an independence probe into the matter. In fact, the man’s wife is alleging that she was shot while he was asleep.
A postmortem examination done on the body of the 29-year-old businessman found that he was shot to the chest. The postmortem, which was done on Thursday, revealed that Boston died as a result of haemorrhage and shock due to the gunshot injuries.
