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– Residents claim action was indiscriminateBy Brushell BlackmanThe midday peace and tranquility in Laing Avenue,Cheap Jerseys, West Ruimveldt, was disturbed yesterday after police in pursuit of a teenager, discharged a volley of bullets in the youth’s direction.According to residents, the drama unfolded even as persons were going about their daily routines, causing many to dive for cover.The youth at the centre of the melee is 17-year-old Ezekiel Mentore. The lad’s mother, Claudette Mentore, recounted that she was at home when she heard what appeared at first to be the sound of exploding squibs. The woman said, however, that the rapidity of the sounds made her realise that it was gunshots and not firecrackers.The wound that was allegedly caused by a bullet that grazed the young man By this time she heard the neighbours screaming. She said that she exited the house after she heard persons calling out to her. “I had to rush out of the house, when I go outside me neighbour tell me, that is me son and the police”.The woman said by this time she was overcome with fear and ventured outside only to see two police officers in hot pursuit of her son discharging shots in his direction.Mentore said that she and her sister managed to catch up with the policemen and accosted them, enquiring what their reason for shooting at the lad was.“I hold on to he (Police rank) and I shaking he asking what me son do?”Mentore said that the officer, who could not be much older than eighteen, could not give a reason for his actions. The woman said that the only response she got was a rude one instructing her to “get out of the way”. Mentore said that by this time the fleet-footed teen managed to elude the tiring policemen.Ezekiel Mentore, the individual at the centre of the confrontation said that he had just disembarked a minibus to make his way home when he was confronted by the lawmen. According to the youth, he was enjoying some music via his MP3 player when it appeared that the policemen requested a search. However the teen did not hear since he was listening to the music with headphones.His non-response raised the ire of the police ranks who attempted to grab his bag. The young man said that he became scared and began to run. “I see what they (police) does do with youth men me age so I get frighten and run away”. The lad said he ran quite some distance and all this time shots, which he numbered around fifteen, were being discharged in his direction. The youth escape only with a graze on his right shoulder from a bullet.Claudette Mentore was adamant that her son was not a shadowy character and has had no brushes with the law. She said the only problem she gets with her son is some disobedience, which she said he is usually reprimanded for by his uncles.Claudette MentoreThe mother chided the police for what she opined was their high-handed actions and branded their behaviour as harassment towards a certain group in society.“This is how they does make criminals out of these young boys; they have parents too”. Residents who witnessed the incident told Kaieteur News that the police normally frequent the area and are in the habit of harassing the young men in the community. Many concurred that the teenager that they were shooting at is not a criminal and that he was on his way home from work when the incident took place.At the scene of the shooting, residents showed Kaieteur News a number of spent shells that were left in the wake of the incident. According to one resident, the trigger happy cops were even trying to enter his yard, but his ferocious dogs interrupted this move.The man said the ranks became enraged and even threatened to shoot the dogs.On their way out of the area, the lawmen arrested a youth even as he was fishing in a nearby canal.In the meantime, Ezekiel Mentore was taken into custody after he was taken to the police station by his mother. The woman said that the police claimed that her son was shooting back at them. However, she refuted this and believes it is a move to take the spotlight off themselves, since their actions were improper.When contacted, the police Public Relations department was unaware of the incident.One of the spent shells found at the scene of the shooting yesterday