Greene died from fractured spine – autopsy

A post-mortem examination performed on the body of former Police Commissioner Henry Greene revealed that he died as a result of a fractured spine, while 11-year-old Shaffiya Jamalludin died as a result of multiple injuries.
Greene and Jamalludin were both killed last Friday when a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) driven by the former police chief collided with a car transporting Jamalludin and her relatives. The driver of the car, Raheem Kaleem, 45 – along with the other occupants, his sons Reeaz Kaleem, 18, and Fawaaz Kaleem, 15, and Zaitoon Hoosein, 26, all of Canefield, East Canje – sustained injuries and were taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Zaitoon Hoosein, the mother of the dead child, remains in serious condition and is still unaware of her death. She sustained head injuries as well as a broken jaw, and is being monitored closely by doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The three-vehicle collision occurred along the West Coast Demerara Public Road in the vicinity of Harlem. The occupants of a Bakewell truck, the third vehicle involved in the accident, recalled seeing Green’s SUV swerving along the roadway as it approached, and while Raheem Kaleem slowed down along the road shoulder, Green’s SUV collided head-on with the man’s AT 192 car.
The SUV also collided with the truck, whose driver and two passengers sustained injuries. The three men were treated and sent away from the West Demerara Regional Hospital.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Community Policing Organisation through the Home Affairs Ministry expressed “profound shock” at the passing of Greene. “… the community policing [groups] earned tremendous benefits from his advice at his monthly statutory meeting with the national community policing executive, and as such, members were able to formulate strategies in reducing the fear of crime in their communities,” the release said.
“Mr Greene expended a great deal of energy in improving the relations between the police and the organisation by ensuring training, social interaction, fun days, and participation in police activities,” it added.
The organisation extended its heartfelt condolences to the family of the former police chief and urged them to have strength and faith to overcome the challenges they may face without him.
Captain Gerry Gouveia also expressed shock at the passing of Greene. “Mr Greene served Guyana with distinction and he became commissioner at a time when the police force was in a bad shape where we had criminals slaughtering innocent people and he changed that,” he said.
He added that Greene served with distinction not only as a commissioner but also as a person. Gouveia remembers Greene as the type of person who cared about what went on around him and played an integral part in setting things right. “I am saddened by the fact he did not get the time to spend seeing his young children growing up and also enjoy his retirement,” Gouveia said.
The Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry’s Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, said Greene will be missed for his commitment to the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA). He said that Greene was elected president of the GTTA on July 31, 2010, at a time when the organisation was experiencing severe managerial difficulties and was unable to carry out its mandate, and he used all his experience and put systems in place to ensure the proper and effective forward movement of the association.
He added that as GTTA president, Greene established a very close working relationship with the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry/ National Sports Commission, the corporate community, the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation, and the International Table Tennis Federation.
Greene also promoted a family atmosphere among the executives, players, parents, coaches, fans, and the public at large. Kumar added that the former commissioner touched the lives of many with his democratic management style. He was remembered as a leader who led by example, committed to the cause and honest in his dealings. “Just a few hours before his demise, the executive body of the Guyana Table Tennis Association met, discussed and agreed on the activities for the remainder of the year, such as the National Tournament…,” Kumar said in a letter.