Innocent Man Shot in Eye by Police During Linden Protest, GPF Remains Silent
By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
LINDEN, GUYANA — There has been deafening silence from the Guyana Police Force following the shooting of an innocent bystander, Shirlon Hollingsworth , during Monday’s protest in Linden over the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge.
Hollingsworth, a young boutique owner and part-time truck driver from One Mile, Wismar, was shot in the right eye with a rubber bullet as police opened fire at demonstrators. But Hollingsworth maintains he was not part of the protest — he was securing his shop when chaos erupted.
“I just finish lock up the boutique. I was securing my place when I get shot,” he told Nightly News from his bed at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The rubber bullet remains lodged in his right eye, and doctors say surgery is needed to extract it — a procedure that may have to be done overseas due to local limitations.
“This is it for me now. I can’t go back to truck driving like this. That man (employer) won’t take me back like this,” Hollingsworth said through tears.
Hollingsworth now faces the loss of both vision and livelihood, raising questions about the police’s use of force against unarmed citizens. Several residents who spoke to HGP confirmed he was not involved in the protest and was an innocent victim of a chaotic response by law enforcement.
Despite multiple follow-up attempts by HGP to obtain an official comment, the Guyana Police Force has offered no explanation or update regarding the shooting — continuing a pattern of silence and opacity surrounding recent controversial incidents.
