Guard accidentally shoots colleague while clearing firearm

A security officer attached to the Sheriff Security Services is now nursing a gunshot wound to his left foot after being shot by his colleague while they were delivering firearms to another security officer on Sunday morning.

The injured man has been identified as 23-year-old Jamal Bourne of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Reports received revealed that about 08:30h, Bourne and his co-worker, Travis Johnson, were handing over service weapons to their colleague who was stationed at a Chinese supermarket in Dairy, Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) when the shooting incident occurred.
Bourne was reportedly sitting in the back seat of the vehicle while Johnson was standing close to the nearby door “clearing” his service firearm, a 9mm Glock. It was at this time Johnson is said to have accidentally squeezed the trigger and the gun went off.
The discharged round reportedly struck Bourne above his knee on his left foot and exited his body. The injured man was immediately rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), where he was admitted for treatment.
Bourne was said to have been in stable condition before he was subsequently discharged from that hospital. The other security officers who were present when the incident took place returned to the company’s headquarters with Johnson’s service weapon.
Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) Police Commander, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord, when contacted, explained that Johnson was presently in Police custody at the La Grange Police Station, WBD.
He stated that such an incident was preventable and that persons who carried loaded weapons should exercise more caution especially in the presence of others, or in public settings.
“I am urging the security companies using firearms to ensure that their personnel who are authorised to use those firearms know about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). They need to be more careful as to when they are cleaning, handing over, and taking over firearms.”
He added that a probe is under way as his ranks are in the process of retrieving Johnson’s weapon from the Sheriff Security Services to continue their investigations into the matter. (Kristen Macklingam)