A former member of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit, Sherwin Peters, was on Thursday sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment after being unanimously convicted of manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of 29-year-old Dartmouth businessman Orin Boston.
Justice Sandil Kissoon, who presided over the trial at the Essequibo High Court, handed down the sentence following a damning assessment of Peters’ conduct and that of his fellow SWAT officers during anti-crime operation.
Boston, a father of two minors, was shot and killed in his bed during a pre-dawn raid on his home in Dartmouth, Region Two, on September 15, 2021.
The operation, conducted by 12 heavily armed SWAT officers, targeted two homes within the same yard but was executed without a search warrant, arrest warrant, or any lawful authority, facts that drew strong condemnation from the judge.
“The actions of Peters were unlawful, unreasonable, unjustified, disproportionate, and excessive,” Justice Kissoon stated during sentencing. “The resort to lethal force was without any basis against an unarmed man asleep in his bed.”
The judge highlighted that the SWAT team, comprising officers specially trained in handling high-risk operations, failed in their duty to exercise caution and professionalism.
He criticised their conduct as reckless, stressing that no member of the unit had lawful grounds to enter Boston’s home.
According to the judge, Peters’ account of a confrontation was discredited by the testimony of his fellow officers and contradicted by the findings of crime scene investigators.
The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that Boston posed no threat when he was shot, a claim also firmly supported by his widow, who maintained that her husband was asleep at the time.
The case sparked national outrage and renewed calls for greater police accountability. Peters, 36, who represented himself during the trial, had previously been released on $1 million bail. He was remanded following the verdict on June 25 and will serve his sentence at one of the penitentiaries operated by the Guyana Prison Service.
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Peters was represented by attorney-at-law Keoma Griffith. The prosecution’s case was led by State Counsel Latifah Elliot.
