CASTRIES – The lone survivor of last week’s shootout between police and a group of bandits has died with at least one government minister and human rights lawyers reiterating calls for a full investigation into the matter.
Kevin Ferdinand of La Clery north of here, was among five men who attempted to rob a business place in the southern town of Vieux Fort when they were shot and killed by lawmen.
In a brief statement, earlier, the police said that the four of the men – John Baptiste Mc Farlan aka “Epic” , Mitchel Cadette, aka “Apachie” , Allan Lenny Louisy, aka, “Al Capone” and Myron Dupal – were shot and killed after law enforcement officials responded to the burglary on May 5. Their ages were not disclosed.
“During the process, there was an exchange of gun fire which resulted in five individuals … being shot by the police. Four were fatally shot, “the police said in the statement.
No police officer was injured during the incident.
Police Commissioner Vernon Francois, who has denied that law enforcement officials were engaged in extra-judicial killings, has reiterated a warning to criminals that the police will not allow crime to get out of hand.
“Rest assured that my department is not letting up in the fight to restore confidence to law abiding citizens of this country by making it safe for them to live,” he said.
But Minister for Commerce, Tessa Mangal, has called on law enforcement officials to set the record straight regarding the killings.
She warned that the police could lose the goodwill of the public if these matters were not resolved.
“We cannot allow the police or anyone else to usurp the authority of any arm of the judiciary because that would be sowing the seeds of anarchy and a more and more aggressive brand of criminality,” she cautioned.
Human rights advocate, Martinus Francois, a brother of the Police Commissioner, has repeated calls for due process as well as an inquest to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the five bandits.
“I am truly worried at the perceived lack of due process as criminals should be apprehended and put on trial. This sounds very much like extra judicial killings, and this is not a form of justice.
“The role of the police is to apprehend criminals and bring them to justice and not to meet out justice themselves and it seems to me that the Police are embarking on a new policy of shooting to kill,” he said, joining another human rights lawyer, Mary Francis, who has called for a probe into the incident. (CMC)