Byera man shot dead by police

A resident of Byera, who had been creating a disturbance by throwing stones on his neighbour’s roof, was shot and killed by police on Wednesday.

Up to press time, police had not released an official statement, but residents of the area told SEARCHLIGHT that police were called to the area shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday.{{more}}

SEARCHLIGHT spoke with Carlton Culzac, who said the deceased, known by the name “Boying” and said to be in his 30s, had been throwing stones on his (Carlton’s) house roof.

“I was sleeping and about 6 a.m., I heard a whole heap of noise on the house roof… I get up and go outside to see what was happening and when I look above the house, I see Boying pelting stones,” Culzac, a farmer recalled.

According to Culzac, he could not get out of his house because of the barrage of stones that were being thrown at it. He said his ex-girlfriend, who was in the house with him at the time, telephoned the police.

“When the police come, it was about six of them,” Culzac said.

He said the police spoke to Boying and asked him to put down a cutlass he was holding in his hand.

“I see he bend down, full up he hand with sand and throw it at the police,” Culzac stated, adding that he also saw when the deceased took up a stone and fired it at one of the officers, striking him in the back.

However, Culzac said he did not see when the fatal shots were fired.

The 57-year-old man who has lived at Byera all his life, described the deceased as a quiet person who never troubled anyone.

“I don’t know him to have any mental problems or anything. It was just some months ago, he told me he would kill my dog, but before that, me and him didn’t have anything at all,” Culzac said.

Culzac is now left with the task of trying to repair the holes in the roof, which was badly damaged by the stones which were thrown at it.

“It have some big holes there. Is about four sections of the roof damage. I don’t know how me and my people them going to sleep tonight,” Culzac said.

Another neighbour, who spoke to SEARCHLIGHT on the condition of anonymity, said police should deploy senior personnel to deal with circumstances such as what took place on Wednesday morning.

He questioned why the police had to shoot the deceased. He said since Boying did not have a bad police record, the police officers on the scene should have referred the matter to a more senior officer so that lives could have been saved.

According to the man, he observed the deceased throwing stones.

He said, at the time, it seemed to him that Boying was “chipping off” (going crazy).

He further stated that he knew the deceased as a person who always liked to work and did not make trouble.

According to the eyewitness, he saw when the deceased took up sand from the ground and threw it up in the air. He, however, said he did not see him throw a stone at the policeman.

“All I see was a whole heap ah dust. If I say I see him fire anything, is lie ah going tell and ah don’t want to tell no lie.

“Others who was there said he fired stone and hit the police, but all I see was one heap ah sand up in the air and all I heard was bow, bow – two bullets one time…,” the eyewitness added.

“All me see is the man ah ground. Me see the four ah dem (police) hold him and running coming down with him. All that time, he done dead already.” (KW/CB)