A post-mortem examination on today revealed that 32-year-old Gavin Douglas, who died moments after being taken into custody at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station, sustained blunt trauma to the head.
Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond has called for a thorough, impartial and urgent investigation into the death of Gavin Douglas following his detention at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station, saying accountability must follow wherever wrongdoing is established.
In a live Facebook video addressing the death, Walrond said the Office of Professional Responsibility had commenced an investigation. She stressed that evidence must determine what occurred and guide any subsequent action.
“There must be accountability wherever the evidence leads. If wrongdoing is established, appropriate action must follow,” she said.
The minister acknowledged allegations concerning the circumstances surrounding Douglas’s death, describing them as serious and saying they could not be dismissed. However, she cautioned that the evidence must establish exactly what happened.
“Any death involving a person in the custody of the state is a serious matter,” she said. “When someone is taken into police custody, the state assumes a responsibility for that person’s safety and well-being.”
Walrond said she expected the Office of Professional Responsibility’s investigation to be conducted with urgency, thoroughness and impartiality.
“The public and most importantly Mr. Douglas’s family deserve the truth about what happened. That is what the investigative process must now establish,” she said.
She assured Douglas’s family and the people of Guyana that the matter would receive the seriousness it demanded.
