Former minister and former parliamentarian Annette Ferguson has called for an independent investigation into the death of 32-year-old Gavin Kennard Douglas, warning that the circumstances surrounding his fatal injuries in police custody demand more than government assurances.
In a letter published in Village Voice News on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Ferguson questioned how Douglas sustained a fatal brain haemorrhage while detained at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station on Saturday, October 31, and demanded a transparent account of what transpired inside the station.
Her intervention follows a post-mortem examination conducted on November 2 by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, which determined that Douglas died from a brain haemorrhage caused by blunt trauma. Two Taser studs were also removed from his body and lodged as exhibits.
Ferguson said the findings raised serious questions about police conduct and the State’s responsibility to protect individuals in its custody.
Let us be clear: regardless of the allegations against Mr. Douglas, he was presumed innocent under the law. Being arrested does not mean that a person forfeits his constitutional rights, dignity or right to life.
When an individual is taken into police custody, the State assumes responsibility for that person’s safety and well-being. The Guyana Police Force therefore has a fundamental duty to protect, not endanger, the lives of those placed in its care.
Douglas had been arrested in connection with an alleged armed robbery committed on October 28 at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop. According to the police account, he became aggressive and resisted officers while being placed in the lock-ups. He was subsequently found frothing at the mouth and taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he died while receiving medical attention.
However, Ferguson questioned how a man who entered the police station alive could sustain injuries resulting in a fatal brain haemorrhage.
How did a young man who was taken into police custody alive sustain injuries resulting in a fatal brain haemorrhage? What exactly transpired inside the police station? Was the force used against him necessary and proportionate? Were established procedures followed? Were there adequate safeguards to protect his life while he was detained?
These are not unreasonable questions. They are questions that the family and the Guyanese public deserve to have answered.
The investigation has resulted in six police ranks reportedly being placed under close arrest as the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) examines the circumstances surrounding Douglas’s death. The investigation is ongoing, and no findings of criminal responsibility have been established.
Ferguson acknowledged the development but insisted that arrests alone do not constitute accountability. She called for an investigation that is thorough, impartial and transparent, with no attempt to shield anyone found responsible.
She also expressed concern about what she described as a troubling pattern of deaths in police custody, referencing the deaths of Jordan Payne, Hemat Kumar Mohamed and now Douglas.
In a particularly forceful passage, she asked:
How many more families must be left grieving before there is meaningful accountability?
Ferguson welcomed Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond’s public commitment to a thorough and impartial investigation but said the Government must demonstrate that commitment through concrete action.
Among the measures she is demanding are an independent investigation with external oversight; preservation and examination of CCTV footage, station records, custody registers and medical records; and a transparent account of how Douglas sustained his injuries, including the circumstances in which force and Taser equipment were used.
She also wants the investigation’s findings disclosed to the family and public, subject to the law, appropriate disciplinary and criminal proceedings against anyone found responsible, and a comprehensive review of police detention procedures and the use of force.
The controversy has also drawn attention because Douglas’s mother, Police Inspector Colette Jones, has publicly demanded answers about her son’s injuries and the circumstances surrounding his death.
Ferguson maintained that the issue is not about defending criminality or interfering with law enforcement, but ensuring that police officers are held to the same standards of law they are entrusted to enforce.
The right to life is fundamental. No person should enter a police station alive and leave in a coffin without the circumstances surrounding that death being fully and credibly explained.
This is not about defending criminality or interfering with the work of law enforcement. It is about defending the rule of law and insisting that those entrusted with enforcing the law must also be accountable to it.
She said Douglas’s family deserves justice and the Guyanese public deserves answers, concluding:
Justice Must Not Only Be Promised; It Must Be Seen To Be Done.
When will it end?
The investigation remains ongoing, with the circumstances surrounding Douglas’s fatal injuries yet to be fully established.
