Family raise concerns after ECD man dies in police lock-ups

…baby born same night father dies

A family from Haslington south, East Coast Demerara, is demanding answers after a 30-year-old man died under disputed circumstances while in police custody, just around the same time his girlfriend gave birth to their first child.

Dead is Otis “Jah Jah” Jordan, a construction worker and block maker of Lot 32 South Haslington, who had been detained at the Cove and John Police Station since Friday following an alleged domestic incident. He was expected to appear before the court at 09:00h on Tuesday, but he died in the early hours of Tuesday.
His mother, Amanda Kato, said she began her Tuesday morning preparing for her son’s court appearance, unaware that he was already dead.
However, upon arriving at the Cove and John Police Station with the clothing, she said ranks delivered news.
“When I reach and tell them I come for my son, they tell me ‘he deh Enmore mortuary’. I say, ‘Enmore mortuary? What happen to him?’ They say they don’t know, go to Enmore and find out.”
Still in disbelief, Kato said she immediately made her way to the Enmore Regional Hospital, where she sought answers from medical staff.
“When I meet the doctor, I ask if police bring a patient. The doctor tell me yes, they bring a body, but when they bring him, he was already dead. The body was cold,” she claimed she was told.
Jordan’s death has been made even more tragic by the timing of a major milestone in his life. His girlfriend, who had been pregnant at the time of his arrest, gave birth to their son.
The young mother is currently hospitalised and, according to Kato, is struggling to cope with the loss.
“She crying all the time, but I telling she don’t cry because she just give birth,” Kato claimed the girlfriend said.
Kato explained that the incident leading to her son’s arrest stemmed from what she described as a ‘minor’ dispute.
“It was just a little incident between him and his girlfriend,” she said. “They had a talking, and he had a piece of wood and lash she on her hand. There was no injury or swelling or anything,” the woman said as she downplayed the domestic violence matter.
She added that the woman initially went to the police station and made a report, but later decided not to pursue medical attention.
“She say she going to the station, but the next day she calm down. She didn’t go back and carry no medical, she didn’t want no medical. Seventy-two hours pass and he was still in there,” she said as she again downplayed the domestic violence incident.
She said the last time she saw her son was on Saturday under brief circumstances but she continued to take food for him while was in custody.
However, Kato also alleged that her son was physically assaulted at the time of his arrest.
“I need them to look into it and I need justice for my son,” she said. “It’s not easy to lose a big child like that. To know he was healthy and nothing was wrong, and just so, he gone, it’s sad. You understand? It’s sad.”
Unresponsive
In a statement on Tuesday, police said Jordan became unresponsive in the lock-ups around 00:10h on Tuesday after complaining of feeling unwell. He was taken to the Enmore Regional Hospital, treated, and returned to custody.
According to the police, he later again complained of feeling unwell and suddenly became unresponsive, after which he was rushed back to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police further stated that no marks of violence were observed on the body, which is currently at the hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, one of Jordan’s brothers said that his brother was beaten by police while being arrested, and may have sustained injures from the beating.
The incident has since sparked outrage, with some residents staging protests along sections of the East Coast Demerara roadway, using debris to block traffic. Law enforcement ranks were later deployed to restore order and clear the roadways.
Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Ministry has announced that a “thorough and comprehensive investigation” has been launched in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force, assuring that the process will be conducted with professionalism, impartiality, and accountability.