Culled fom Daily Observer


Two pathologists at the RVH yesterday confirmed the use of live ammunition
on April 10 and 11 students demonstration resulting to death of some school
students.

Making the confirmation Thursday before members of the commission, Dr Omar
Sam, a pathologist at RVH, said most of the bodies he conducted post-mortem
on had features of gunshot wounds.

Dr Sam who told the  commission he had been a pathologist for the past eight
years, intimated that his findings revealed that the features were those of
high velocity or rifle bullets.

He said one of the bullets recovered on the body of Momodou Lamin Chune was
handed over to the coroner.

The bullet was tendered before the commission and marked as an exhibit.

Dr Sam said he performed eight post-mortem examinations on April 11.

He said all eight deaths were sudden deaths caused by severe bleeding and
injuries to the heart or major damages to the blood vessels. He added that
an additional post-mortem report was made relating to the death of Ousman
Sabally.

He said he conducted the post-mortem at the Brikama-ba grave yard.

Eight photographs of bodies Dr Sam conducted post-mortems on were tendered
before the inquiry.

He said the photograph on the body of Ousman Sabally was with the police
criminal record office.

The post-mortem reports were also tendered before the commission.

In his testimony, Dr Raphael Sorhegui, another pathologist at the RVH,
confirmed that he had conducted three post-mortem examinations on three
bodies on April 11.

Dr Sorhegui, who said he had been a pathologist for the past 24 years, told
the inquiry that he conducted post-mortem on the body of three-year-old
Abdoulie Sanyang.

He attributed the cause of Abdoulie's death to "crush syndrome". He said
there were damages on the young boy's lungs.

On the case of 10-year-old Ebrima Badjie, Dr Sorhegui attributed the cause
of death to massive haemorrhage from the blood vessels. He said there were
gunshots on Ebrima Badjie's chest, which he attributed to high velocity
rifle shot.

On Wuyeh Mansally, 19, the veteran pathologist said the cause of death was
due to massive haemorrhage.

He said there was a gunshot on the right side of Mansally's neck.

He added that it was due to high velocity object.

In his testimony, Fye Sanneh of Wellingara, Central River Division, said he
was told by fleeing people from Brikama-ba that soldiers and police were
firing shots at Brikama-ba April 11.

He added that he went to Brikama-ba to look for his children and upon
arrival found the village school empty.

He said he saw people on the highway and as he was heading towards them, he
saw Sainey Nyabally lying on the ground, his mouth agape. He added that he
proceeded to Brikama-ba police station to inquire whether any student from
his village had died or been injured. He said the station officer told him
to quickly leave the station to avoid being shot.

He said he insisted that he would look for his children.

He said he returned to the spot where he saw his nephew, Sainey Nyabally,
lying on the ground, but found he had died.

He said he found his villagers making arrangements to take the body for
burial but he advised that the body should be taken to Bansang Hospital
before burial.

He added that one Ebrima Saidy, a young man from Saruja village, who was
looking for children from Saruja, was shot in the abdomen.

He confirmed the response of three armed soldiers at the time of the
shooting in the area.

He said the station officer at Brikama-ba police, Madinding Fatty, who was
in company of soldiers, was armed.

He added that he was arrested by soldiers from Basse who threatened to shoot
him if he ran.

He said he was escorted at gun point and was detained at Brikama-ba police
station.

He added that he spent a day at the station without lunch or dinner.

He said he and other detainees were remanded at Janjangbureh prisons and he
was detained for nine days until he was granted bail in the sum of D5,000.

He added that 44 of them were detained at Janjangbureh prisons, including 22
students, 11 elders and 11 youth.

He said when he inquired why he was detained, the security officers told him
"nobody should go into the streets that day to talk to security men."

A bullet he said he recovered at Brikama-ba was tendered before the
commission. He said he was not tortured but some people were beaten with gun
butts on their heads and sustained injuries.

Earlier, the commission conducted an identification parade since the police
corporal, Gorgi Mboob, has repeatedly denied his presence at St Augustine's
Senior Secondary School.

Inspector Omar Darboe of the police intervention unit, Ousman Sabally, a
teacher at the school and Father David Jimoh Jarju, vice principal, all
appeared before the commission and confirmed that Gorgi Mboob was among the
security officers who entered the premises of St Augustine's.

They all touched him with their hands to confirm they identified him. But
corporal Gorgi Mboob doggedly maintained that he never stepped foot in the
premises of Saint Augustine's school on April 10

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