8th of April, 2025. Guyana, South America. GSA News. Guyana News.
Last updated: April 8, 2025 at 20:51 pm
On the evening of Monday, 7th of April, 2025, a 23-year-old man, Ronaldo Peters, was shot dead by police in the town of Linden in Region 10, Guyana, South America. Within minutes, there were loud calls across social media platforms for the “lockdown” of the town of Linden in Region 10 through protest action. Political figures spun the story into a political one, claiming that Peters died as a result of corruption and abuse of power, and blamed the government in power for this. However, there had been nothing to suggest up to that point that the killing of Ronaldo Peters was encouraged, supported, or sponsored by the state.
Initial reports suggested that Peters was fleeing from the police when shot. CCTV footage of the incident (reproduced below), shows ranks exiting a minibus and walking towards Ronaldo Peters who was sitting with a group of men near to the roadway. As the ranks approached Peters, he got up and started to run. The CCTV footage, a bit blur, showed one of the ranks pursuing Ronaldo and subsequently dragging him to the bus.
The CCTV footage above shows Peters fleeing the scene as several officers exited a minibus. One of the officers disappeared behind a wall and shortly after reemerged, dragging Peters with him. The officer said that while attempting to subdue Peters, his gun went off accidentally and wounded him.
Below is a rotated version of the CCTV footage for possibly better viewing.
The Guyana Police Force subsequently released a statement that Ronaldo Peters was wanted for questioning in relation to the rape of a girl under 16 years old. The GPF further assured the public that the rank who shot Peters was placed under close arrest and that a full, transparent, and independent investigation will be launched into the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo’s death.
On the morning of Tuesday, 8th of April, 2025, protests erupted in the town of the Linden with residents blocking roads and setting old tyres on fire. The protestors called for “justice for Ronaldo Peters” although it was less than 24 hours after his shooting and an investigation was underway. It was not immediately clear what the protestors were trying to achieve aside from destroying public infrastructure and property. However, antigovernmental politicians and political persons fueled the fire of the protestors seizing the opportunity to heap words of condemnation on the government of the day, and accusing them of involvement in state-sponsored violence.
President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on the morning of Tuesday, 8th of April, 2025, assured the public that a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation has been launched into the shooting of Peters, and called for public restraint. However, protest actions continued throughout the day.
During the morning of Tuesday, 8th of April, 2025, protestors were seen hurling objects at Police Officers in riot gear who were forced to retreat. Several policemen were severely injured, although the extent of their injuries are not known at this time.
Confrontation between police and protestors led to the shooting of Linden resident, Dan Johnson, who died shortly after being shot, despite efforts to rush him to the hospital and save his life. He apparently died en route to the hospital or shortly after arriving.
Calls for Mohamed
In a somewhat confusing development, protestors were heard calling for “Mr. Mohamed” to come calm them down. Understandably, they were referring to popular Georgetown businessman, Azzrudin Mohamed, who is currently at loggerheads with both the Guyanese and United States government. Mohamed was seen at Linden shortly after midday, although the exact time of his arrival is not known.
