Man shot in leg while in Police custody at Blairmont

A 32-year-old Steve Vyfhuis of No. Nine Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), Region Five (Mahaica–Berbice), is now nursing a gunshot injury to his left leg after he was allegedly shot while in Police custody at the Blairmont Police Station.
Vyfhuis was reportedly shot on March 14, 2026, one day after he had been taken into custody in connection with a damage to property matter, and his family has accused the ranks of excessive force and misconduct.
According to Vyfhuis, the situation escalated after he raised concerns about unsanitary conditions inside the lockup.
“I saw that the toilet was backflowing… waste water, faeces flooding the cell. My lunch bowl, my water, everything was receiving the wastewater,” he said. “I told the Police officers that wastewater is flooding up the cell.”
He alleged that after informing ranks of the condition, he refused to return to the cell when instructed, leading to a confrontation.
“He told me, ‘Go back in your cell’, but I didn’t go back,” Vyfhuis recounted. “He take a bullet… put it in the shotgun, crank it, and he shot me in my leg… close range.” Vyfhuis said he was left in shock following the discharge.
“I wasn’t expecting to get shot; this never happened to me before,” he added. He further claimed that while he was on the ground bleeding, ranks continued to act aggressively.

“While I was on the ground bleeding, they raise the gun and try to hit me in my head,” he said. “One of them take his boots and rest it on my head.”
The injured man also alleged that he was threatened during the ordeal.
“He said, ‘I gon blow off your head, boy,’” he stated, adding, “None of them didn’t help me. Nobody assisted me.” He was eventually transported to the Bath Public Hospital, where he received initial treatment.
Describing the severity of his injury, Vyfhuis said, “The whole flesh was hanging down, it bore through my foot,” noting that doctors have indicated that a second surgery may be required.
“The doctor say they might have to do a second surgery. Right now I feel restricted; I can’t do the work I planned,” he explained.
The incident has also disrupted his livelihood, as he had intended to pursue farming. “I was planning to go into farming, but this come and hinder me,” he said.
Despite the ordeal, Vyfhuis indicated that he is not seeking revenge but wants accountability. “I not looking for revenge. But I want them to admit the mistake,” he said, while calling for an investigation. “I want the authorities to investigate.”
His mother, Bernadette Vyfhuis, who spoke during the interview, was critical of the Police’s handling of the situation, arguing that the matter should have been approached differently from the outset.
“I don’t like the way the Police handle the situation,” she said. “They didn’t listen to me… they should have listened.”
Vyfhuis explained that her son had been involved in incidents where property, including a vehicle and part of a church, was damaged, but she maintains that it was a mental health-related issue and not a matter requiring custodial action.
“I told them ‘take him to the psychiatric, let them check him,’” she said, adding, “This would not have happened if they listened.”
She further noted that the family had already taken steps to resolve the matter with those affected. “We didn’t hesitate. We pay willingly,” she said, referring to compensation made for the damage.
The mother also highlighted the financial and emotional toll the incident has taken on the family. “I spend a lot of money, going up and down to the hospital,” she said. “We are suffering physically and psychologically.”
Calling for accountability, Vyfhuis said, “I need justice,” while adding that officers who engage in such conduct should not remain in the force.
“When Police behave like that, they should not remain in the force,” she said.
She also raised broader concerns about policing practices, noting, “Too many mothers have been crying for their children… Why is this so?”
The family is now calling for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the conduct of the officers involved.