“What about the company that acted recklessly?” – Parents of teen killed at auto dealership
On what should have been his 19th birthday on Monday, Jared Jagnandan is instead remembered as a vibrant, loving young man whose life was tragically cut short.
His parents, Avalon and Reshma Jagnandan, still grapple with the void left by his death on March 21, 2024, and calls for his employer to be held accountable.
Jared, a marketing and sales representative, was fatally shot at his place of employment, S.M.K Shaf Auto Sales & Spares, located at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Deandrell Semple, 20, a security guard of Kingelly Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), has been slapped with a manslaughter charge in relation to Jared’s death.
The alleged killer was granted bail of $1 million and was ordered to lodge his passport. However, the Jagnandans believe that accountability extends beyond Semple.
“Justice involves holding all parties accountable. What about the company that acted recklessly, negligently and criminally to put an illegal firearm in the hands of an individual [who] was never trained and licenced to hold a firearm in the first place?”
Furthermore, the grieving parents claim significant lapses by Cerberus Security Inc., including operating without the necessary licences for both the firearm used and the company itself.
“To date, no charges have been instituted against the directors of Cerberus Security Inc., who are Khalid Ghanie, Mohamed Yussuf Ghanie and Maryam Haneezah Hack, despite clear breaches of the Private Security Act, and despite the legislature designing specific laws aimed at holding private security firms accountable, recognising that their operation of firearms poses an increased risk to the public.”
The parents’ frustration is compounded by what they describe as a sluggish and incomplete police investigation.
“Why must we continue to beg for justice as if we are requesting something to which we are not entitled? If directors of Cerberus Security Inc. are never charged, tragic incidents like this will continue to take place.”
Adding to their anguish, the family said they have been denied access to CCTV footage of the shooting – a recording they believe is vital to their pursuit of civil proceedings.
Despite repeated requests through their attorney, the police have refused to cooperate. They question whether sufficient investigations have been conducted to determine the company’s level of responsibility in creating an environment that led to Jared’s untimely death.
The family fears that without full accountability, Jared’s death will be another statistic. They worry that similar tragedies could continue if private security firms are not held to the standards of the law.
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