Opposition political parties A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have issued a unified call for justice and sweeping reforms within the Guyana Police Force following the fatal police shooting of 26-year-old Ronaldo Peters in Wismar, Linden.
Peters, a resident of the community, was shot on the afternoon of Monday, April 7, 2025, by a police sergeant during what the force claims was an attempt to detain him for questioning related to an alleged rape investigation.
According to the report, the ranks were acting on information that Peters, who was wanted in connection with an allegation involving a minor, had been spotted at Shabba Bar in One Mile, Wismar. Upon seeing the ranks, Peters reportedly fled and attempted to scale a fence. The sergeant, while attempting to subdue him, said that the 9mm service pistol in his right hand, “went off”, striking Peters in the lower abdomen. He was rushed to the Mackenzie Public Hospital but succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.
The police confirmed that the sergeant involved has since been placed under close arrest and transferred to the Tactical Services Unit, as the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) launches a full investigation. A post-mortem examination is pending.
However, the explanations provided have not quelled public outrage. In a joint outcry, APNU and AFC condemned what they described as the latest example of excessive and deadly force by members of the Guyana Police Force. The PNCR/APNU extended “heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Ronaldo Peters,” while expressing deep concern over what they labelled “a painful reminder of the brokenness in our security sector-one that continues to fail our people under the dictates of the PPP/C.”
The parties questioned the use of force against an unarmed man and highlighted what they believe is a persistent culture of violence and impunity within law enforcement. “How many more of our youth must bear the brunt of PPP/C incompetence? How many more lives must be lost before real change is made? NO MORE. The blood of Guyana’s sons and daughters must no more be unnecessarily shed,” the PNCR/APNU stated.
Echoing this, the AFC underscored that Peters’ death is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern of fatal police encounters involving young Guyanese men. The party referenced the killing of Ron Somerset (18), Shemroy Bouyea (24), and Allan Lewis (46) during peaceful protests in Linden in July 2012 — a tragedy for which a Commission of Inquiry found the police culpable. Other cited cases include the fatal shooting of Quindon Bacchus (23) in Haslington in 2022, and the 2023 police killing of Randy Ronald Jerome in Wisroc, Linden, during which another young man, Ronaldo Chapman, was wounded.
Both APNU and AFC are calling for transparent, independent investigations into Peters’ death, urgent retraining of law enforcement personnel, strengthened oversight mechanisms, and a renewed commitment to human rights in policing.
Under the PNC, the police ware harassing and killing Indians and were not held accountable, so much so that Dr. Walter Rodney stated that the killings have “the flavour of genocide.”