Shawn Hinds wanted for “serious crime”- Police

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:32 by GxMedia

Self-confessed death squad member, Shawn Hinds is wanted by police to assist them in their probe into a “serious offence.”

Head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Senior Superintendent, Wendell Blanhum told Demerara Waves Online News that Hinds was expected to surrender in the company of a lawyer but so far he has not.

Instead, he appeared Tuesday night on the privately-owned HGPTV Nightly News, admitting that he was a member of a death squad that had been equipped with weapons and given instructions to kill heavily armed criminals.

Blanhum declined to say whether Hinds was wanted for questioning in connection with the killing of a government employee on the East Bank Demerara earlier this year.

The Crime Chief has already ruled out that Hinds was wanted in connection with the gunning down of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing on March 10, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Hinds has also denied his involvement in that killing but has conceded that he has been involved in other instances.

The Head of the Criminal Investigations Department declined to comment on Hinds’ claims that the death squad and police had worked closely to hunt down criminals until he sees a copy of the interview. Blanhum said he had asked HGPTV for a copy of the interview but he was yet to receive a copy.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon told a news conference on Wednesday that Hinds should report what he knew to police and the government would use the information as it sees fit.

The now main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has already denied links to a death squad. Hinds was a former bodyguard for now sacked Town Clerk Carol Sooba as well as several senior PPP functionaries.

Up to recently, he was often seen at PPP campaign meetings, that party’s headquarters on Regent Street and even at State House during the swearing in of Donald Ramotar as President.

Hinds said he worked under Axel Williams. Call logs had shown that then Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj and the now dead Williams had been in constant phone contact.

A presidential commission of inquiry subsequently cleared Gajraj of any involvement in a state-sponsored death squad.