Attorneys write Paul on fisherman’s shooting

Attorney Kevin Ratiram was on Tuesday retained by Mohammed’s family to represent them in their quest to determine the circumstances surrounding their son’s shooting. Mohammed, 29, of Francis Lalla Road, was shot in the head by a Coast Guard member on Sunday night while fishing with two other men in the Gulf of Paria. Mohammed remains in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. According to family members yesterday, Mohammed is still unconscious.

The incident sparked a public protest in the Charlieville area on Monday, as hundreds of Charlieville residents converged on the southbound lane of the Uriah Butler Highway, calling for justice for the Mohammed family.

In a release, the coastguard stated that it had launched its own investigation. Yesterday, attorney Ratiram faxed a letter to Paul’s office at Police Headquarters, requesting that the police conduct its own investigation.

Ratiram stated: “Whilst we do not have any objections to the coast- guard conducting their own internal investigations, transparency requests that an independent investigation be conducted.” The letter also complained to the COP that the boat’s owner — Fareed Mohammed — was yet to be told where the vessel is located. “Bearing that in mind,” the letter stated, “I have requested that Khan and I view the boat in a timely manner, together with its owner.”

The attorneys’ letter was copied to Minister of National Security Martin Joseph; Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson; and acting Chief of Defence Staff, Colonel Edmund Dillon.