News Source Guyana Reports : Family members of Jordan Payne, a 30-year-old man who was pronounced dead at the Enmore Regional Hospital after being taken there by the police early Tuesday morning, are demanding answers and justice.
Payne, of South Haslington on the East Coast of Demerara, had been in police custody since last Thursday following a domestic incident report filed against him. He was expected to appear in court on Tuesday morning.
His mother told reporters that when she visited the Cove and John Police Station on Tuesday to see her son, police informed her that Payne had been taken to hospital overnight and that she should instead go to the Enmore Regional Hospital.
At the hospital, she said she was told by a doctor on duty that Payne arrived in an unconscious state and was pronounced dead.
The Guyana Police Force said it is investigating the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death. Police stated that Payne became unresponsive while in custody at the Cove and John Police Station and died shortly after 12:10 a.m.
The police said preliminary investigations indicate Payne was in custody in relation to a domestic violence matter. They reported that Payne had earlier complained of feeling unwell and was escorted for medical attention, where he was assessed and treated by a doctor on duty at the Enmore Regional Hospital before being returned to the station.
Police further said Payne again complained of feeling unwell while in custody and later became unresponsive. He was then taken back to the Enmore Regional Hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead.
Police said a preliminary examination found no marks of violence on the body.
However, some family members are calling for a full investigation, saying they were never informed that Payne had previously been taken to hospital while alive, before he was transported again after he had already passed away.
A crowd gathered at the hospital on Tuesday, and residents from the Haslington community later reportedly blocked a section of the main roadway, demanding justice and that details of the death be made public.
Investigations are ongoing.
