“I want justice for my son” – father of Agricola man accuses Police of harassment & neglect

By LaWanda McAllister

The father of Nicholas Narine, the Agricola man who was shot and killed earlier this year, is once again calling for justice while accusing members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) of negligence and harassment.

Narine of Third Street, Agricola, Greater Georgetown, was shot dead while working in an alleyway at Titus Street, allegedly by 27-year-old Rafael Bollers of Brutus Street, Agricola. Witnesses said Bollers approached Narine and opened fire before fleeing on foot.

However, months after the incident, the aggrieved father, Barry Narine, speaking with Guyana Times, related that his son’s death has left the family living in fear and frustration, as months have passed without any word from investigators.
“The reason why I’m here is to share my concern concerning my son’s justice and also Police harassment,” Narine said. “From the day Nicholas was killed to now, no Police ever came to my house to ask anything.”
Recounting the incident, Barry said the fatal shooting occurred after his son left home to work at a nearby site.
“Nicholas and I talked that morning. He said, ‘Daddy, I’m going to work,'” he recalled. “About fifteen minutes after, the people who he was working with came back and said, ‘Nicholas just got shoot up!'”
When he arrived at the scene, his son was being carried out of an alleyway.
“He was still alive when I reached. I hold he and I said, ‘Nicholas, talk to me, talk to me.’ He look at me and say, ‘Daddy, Raphael shoot me.’ That was the last thing he said before he died.”

Barry said the suspect, known to the family as Raphael Bollers, fled the area immediately after the shooting. According to Barry, his son’s killing followed a series of attacks and shootings targeting his family in the weeks leading up to the incident.
“Before Nicholas get shoot, they shoot up my daughter house, my next daughter house, my own house,” he explained. “We report everything to the Ruimveldt Police Station and they never do anything. We even give them the names, the number plate, everything.”

He said that despite the family submitting CCTV footage and other evidence, there was no response or investigation.
“The Police had all the footage, everything,” he said. “Nicholas tell me, ‘Daddy, leave it to the law.’ But the law never act. If the Police had done their work from the first time, my son woulda been alive today.”
Barry said there were ongoing tensions between the Narine family and the Bollers family, which he believes led to his son’s murder.
“It had a problem between the family before. Them people start the problem, shooting up my family house and saying all kind of thing,” he claimed. “Nicholas never look for trouble. He was just trying to live his life.”
He added that even after the killing, threats continued.
“People does call private and say, ‘Move out before we bun down your place.’ But why I must run from my own house?” he asked. “My son had no problem with them. He wasn’t looking for trouble.”
Barry said since the incident, instead of receiving updates about the investigation, the family has been subjected to repeated harassment from Police officers.
“One night, a set of Police come by me saying they get information I have a gun. I tell them plain I’m not a firearm holder. They search my house without a warrant. They didn’t find nothing,” he said.
He claimed that the officers acted aggressively and offered no explanation after searching his home.
“They come in like is a raid. They push open the door, look around the yard, say they get information. But information from who?” he asked. “If I wasn’t home, they could’ve plant something and say they find it.”
Barry believes the suspect’s family has close ties to certain officers, which has resulted in bias and inaction in the case.
“From what I see, the Police and Raphael family close,” he alleged. “They never question his mother; they never question his father. They visit them but never ask where Raphael is.”
He said he has tried on several occasions to get answers from the station but was turned away.
“Every time I go to the station, they say the officer in charge is not in. When I finally see him, he just say the matter under investigation,” Barry explained. “Up to now, I can’t get no justice, no call, nothing.”
The grieving father said his family has been left broken and fearful, unsure of what will happen next.
“Since Nicholas gone, nothing ain’t the same,” he said. “We living in fear every day. I can’t even sleep properly. My grandchildren crying for their uncle. My children frighten to go outside.”
He said even his younger son has been targeted and accused unfairly.
“After Nicholas dead, they arrest my next son, saying he shoot up somebody place. They find a gun and charge he. But he only went because he wanted justice for his brother,” Barry said.
Barry is now urging the Commissioner of Police and the Crime Chief to take charge of the investigation and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
“I want Mr Hickens and Mr Wendell to look into this case themselves,” he said. “If they getting information that Raphael gone to French Guiana or wherever, they must alert the authorities. They can’t just leave it like that.”
He said he believes the Police have not done enough to locate the suspect.
“They say the man deh over the river, but nothing doing. Nobody ain’t moving. Nobody ain’t searching. Like they just waiting for we to forget,” Barry said.
Despite his frustration, Barry maintains he only wants justice, not revenge.
“Boller’s family has been seeking media attention. Claiming that. It was a family vendetta. When. His brother (Raphael) shot me, and my family had nothing to do with that,” he said.
“Even if my son had a past, he was trying to change,” he said. “The law supposed to protect, not decide who deserve justice.”
It was reported that the now dead Narine and the suspect had a long-standing dispute. Relatives described Bollers as a known troublemaker, claiming he had recently threatened their family and was involved in a previous shooting incident that left another relative injured.
Following the killing, Narine’s brother, 22-year-old electrician Keon Narine, allegedly carried out a revenge shooting at the home of Bollers’ father, 60-year-old Gideon Bollers. He reportedly fired several shots before fleeing. Police later arrested Keon and found an AR-15 rifle and ammunition at his home. He was later remanded to prison.
Investigators recovered a 9mm shell from the murder scene and 18 spent shells from the retaliation shooting. Sometime later, Raphel’s brother, Romel Bollers, was found dead with gunshot wounds in Agricola. Police are still searching for the suspect, Rafael Bollers, as investigations continue.
The murders of Nicholas Narine and Romel Bollers have left Agricola on edge, with families caught in the middle of a feud and a community still waiting for justice.