GSU’s door busters

Deron Sanchez

Officers of the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) allegedly beat up several residents of the Plues Street area last week. The GSU had refuted the claims, however, the attorney for the men say that they will sue the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General, Bernard Q. Pitts. The Prime Minister had indicated on Monday that he felt that there was police involvement in the case and that what happened was unacceptable. But his disapproval may have come a few days too late. Another incident, though less contemptuous, has arisen which also allegedly involves the GSU. Eighteen-year-old Deron Sanchez, a resident of Iguana Street, was shot on Friday night while associating with a group of friends at a nearby residence.  The teenager was hit in the upper right side of the chest and back during a spray of bullets that perforated the wooden walls of the two-storey abode.  While Sanchez recuperates from his injuries, his neighbors are infuriated that personnel from the GSU stormed their residence in search of drugs, guns and ammunition during a pre-dawn raid today. Despite the GSU’s reputation for the presumed use of excess force, no one on the premises was subjected to police brutality.  That however, is little comfort to members of the household. They insist that the crackdown this morning was uncalled for since they were not involved in the weekend shooting incident.

Voice of: Iguana Street Resident

“On Friday night at eight o’clock, after eight, there were some boys passing our house by the street and my neighbor and my brother were standing on the veranda.  They didn’t know who were on the street trying to do them anything.  So they were standing on the veranda talking like anybody else because my brother and his friend, his friend usually come here and hang out with them and they don’t do anyone anything here.  So I don’t know why they came and shoot up our house.”

Isani Cayetano

“Talk to us about the search that was conducted on the premises at five o’clock this morning by GSU personnel.”

Voice of: Iguana Street Resident

“Well at five o’clock this morning the GSU they came to our house, at our residence.  We were sleeping with our children.  Well as a family we are in the house.  So they knock on the door and holler and said “Open, this is the police.  If you don’t [bleep] open this door we will kick it down.” For what? That is the question, for what?  I don’t know why.  Well they came in the house [and] when they came in the house they did a search warrant.  I don’t know if they bring a search warrant anyway to come and search up our house and they came and said that it is for gun and drugs. We don’t have guns or any drugs here so why they came to our house for?”

Isani Cayetano

“Did they say they were acting on a tip or did they have concrete evidence as to what they were looking for?  What was it?”

Voice of: Iguana Street Resident

“I noh think soh.  I noh think dehn have any concrete, I noh think dehn have any evidence fu kohn ya kohn search up fu we house.  Watch fu we house, we just get bullet through fu we house Friday night and dehn wah kohn kohn search up fu we house this mawnin early when fu we baby di sleep.”

According to the family, the officers left the property empty-handed.  Meanwhile, an arrest in the shooting of Deron Sanchez, who remains hospitalized at the KHMH, is yet to be made.