Laventille residents are up in arms again, claiming police brutality after a soldier was shot while on patrol in the area yesterday. The residents claimed a detachment of Defence Force and police personnel stormed Desperlie Crescent, Batson Place, Tilbury Place and Lovell Place early yesterday after Private Ryan Gittens was wounded around 3 am. Gittens and other soldiers were on foot patrol at Clifton Hill, East Dry River, Port-of-Spain, when they were reportedly shot at by a group of men.
Police said the group of soldiers returned fire. However, Gittens was hit in the exchange. He was taken to hospital and his condition was listed as stable up to late yesterday. Scores of residents were detained at the Besson Street Police Station up to late yesterday while some were taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for treatment.
A female resident, who refused to give her name, claimed she, her brother and another occupant of her house were also assaulted. “They start to beat my brother and a next person and hit him in his head with a bottle from the yard and gun butt and hit him on his head with a stone. “I started to quarrel and one of the soldiers walk up to me and choke me and push me on the ground,” she said.
The residents said the officers stormed their community and physically assaulted them. The officers were also alleged to have shot a dog belonging to one of the residents. Another resident, Shermaine Thomas, who was seen talking to a troop of soldiers, said: “They come and shoot the dog. It was a friendly dog and he used to go about the neighbourhood.”
Another in the community said the officers took away one of her relatives who had surgery two months ago. “They kick him in his (private parts) and he just had a hernia two months ago. “They stamp him up so much until he started to vomit. All you wicked. He was asleep. People fed up,” she said.
Reporting by Camille Clarke
Griffith responds
National Security Minister Gary Griffith says he will not tolerate any acts of violence carried out on soldiers or police officers. He added: “This is nonsense, if they want to protect criminals let them go ahead. When police officers or soldiers are shot at by criminals you don’t hear their concerns. “These red herring...let them wield and come again. I see them as aiding and abetting criminals. When soldiers get shot at nobody complains.
“They go postering and talking about humans rights. It’s violating, it’s false, misleading and mischievous. “If they think I going to have them shooting at police officers and soldiers let them think again. “It is an eye-for-an-eye, I’m not going to have them getting shot at and in return police and soldiers throw marshmallows. I won’t have that. We are returning in kind. We are returning in full force,” he said.
MP for Port-of-Spain South Marlene McDonald said she prefered not to make any comment about the incident until she knew more.