Police say “eyewitness” interview did not take place

Seawall shooting

The self-proclaimed eyewitness to the Kingston seawall killings of three suspected bandits – who according to Police was scheduled for an interview with a Senior Detective in the presence of his Attorney, Nigel Hughes, today (Tuesday) did not turn up.
According to the Guyana Police Force’s Public Relations Department, “Mr Lyte’s Attorney-at-Law when contacted in relation to another matter informed the detective that his client needed another 24 hours. As his client has some issues to sort out.”
The Police had said Lyte went to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Monday around 16:45h and in the presence of his Attorney submitted “a copy of the statement, which he issued earlier to the Crime Chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Williams.”
Lyte during a press conference held at his Attorney’s office on Monday, read from the prepared statement where he claimed that on the day Dextroy Cordis, also known as “Dutty”, of Grove, East Bank Demerara; Kwame Assanah, of Buxton, East Coast Demerara; and Errol Adams, also known as “Dynamite” were fatally shot, he was working on the roof of the Guyana Softball Association on Carifesta Avenue and would have witnessed the incident, which based on his account is vastly different from the statement issued by the Police.
Hughes recapping what Lyte said, among other things, posited that “there were two vehicles, the black vehicle which had the now three deceased in the front which was being followed by the silver [Police] vehicle, he [eyewitness] hears banging looked West saw the road was blocked off by the Police, those two vehicles were driving East along the Seawall road, gunfire erupted… the car in front stopped, the driver of the silver car got out walked to him, put him [Assanah] on the ground, was actually assaulting him on the ground and then after that there was gunfire…at the time the gunfire erupted he (officer) was physically standing over the guy who was on the ground.”
“In fact, the driver of the black car was on the ground being physically assaulted for more than 10 minutes before the gunfire erupted and three occupants, as you all know, were all dead…there was no motorcycle which disappeared with any pillion rider or any mysterious rider,” Hughes told media operatives. According to Hughes, the facts presented by Lyte seem to suggest that this was an execution.
Additionally, the purported eyewitness related that the roads leading to the seawalls were blocked to vehicular traffic prior to the alleged shootout.
However, Lyte said while he witnessed the event, he could not state whether shots were fired at the Police, nor if the three suspects were armed.
Hours after the shooting to death of the three men, the Police in a statement related that the men were followed by an unmarked Police vehicle after they were seen trailing a customer who had left Scotia Bank on Robb Street, Georgetown.
The Police claimed that in the vicinity of the seawalls, the men in the black Toyota car opened fire on them and in retaliation; they returned fire fatally wounding them.