Cops kill 2 men in Arouca

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith's one shot one kill policy was enforced on Friday evening when two men were shot dead by officers who were responding to a report about gunmen in Arouca.

Dexter Webb, 29, of Spring Road, Five Rivers, Arouca and another man identified only as "Fred" were killed in a shootout with officers of the Northern Division Task Force, Area Central.

They were on patrol on Spring Road, at about 5.45 pm, when they were got an alert about gunmen in the area.

The police, in a statement today, said the officers were shot at when they entered the street from two points and they returned fire, killing one of the gunmen.

The accomplice ran into the forest off Spring Road and was pursued by the officers but he was killed in an exchange of gunfire.

None of the officers were injured but they would receive counselling as this was their first shootout and were traumatised, the statement said.

Two revolvers and five rounds of .38 mm ammunition were recovered.

The release said the officers "exercised the use of force policy and returned fire".

Thirty six men have been killed in shootouts with police from January 1 until Friday.

Out of the 36, 12 were within the five months of Griffith's appointment as head of the Police Service.

Last week, Griffith defended his one shot one kill policy, and in a statement said, "Anyone who aims a firearm and shoots at my officers, they have my full support to fire back and it is not to injure.”

The last multiple killings took place on December 18 when police shot dead three men, who were wanted for crimes ranging from murder to rape, in the forest in Arima.

In a Newsday interview on December 21, Police Complaints Authority director David West said 34 cases, at that time, were being investigated.

“We are vigorously pursuing investigations into all shootings by police officers, whether fatal or non-fatal,” West said.

“Members of the public have been very supportive with respect to these investigations, however getting information from third parties does slow down the process and hinders the investigation.”