Skeng performance in Guyana was cut short as gunfire erupted in the venue.
The dancehall artist was in Guyana for his first-ever appearance on May 26 for an Independence Day celebration which had to be cut short after gunshots rang out. Skeng’s Guyana trip has not come without its fair share of drama. The artist nearly never made it on the flight after security guards took him off of his flight to Trinidad in transit to Guyana.
The “Gvman Shift” artist’s set resulted in mayhem after someone in the crowd in excitement let off gunshots in response to his popular song.
While performing his song “Protocol” featuring Tommy Lee Sparta, actual gunshots can be heard going off in the Guyana National Park where the Jamaican dancehall deejay was headlining the “Baderation” concert.
Videos shared by partygoers showed the exact moment the shots went off as hundreds of people scampered for safety in the open-air venue.
The incident has gone viral online, with many videos showing fans firing off their firearms in the air as the artist performed.
According to news reports from Guyana, a vendor from East Ruimveldt in the city of Georgetown was arrested, and one illegal 9mm firearm with one live round was recovered.
The Acting Police Commissioner for the Guyana Police Force, Clifton Hicken, addressed the incident in a press conference noting that proper security protocol was lacking at the event.
“The security posture (and lack thereof) at the event was discussed and recommendations were made for strict compliance prior to the hosting of any other such events in the future,” the GPF said in a statement.
The Commissioner added that the GPF was looking to arrest more persons and would be reviewing CCTV and social media to identify other perpetrators who discharged their firearms.
Meanwhile, the aftermath was devastating as some social media users shared videos showing patrons stoning the stage with bottles. It also appears that persons got injured during the event as many stepped on broken bottles.
One video shared on Twitter showed a woman showing the glass bottles on the ground as patrons became angry that the concert was cut short and began stoning the stage. She also highlighted that the privately run bars in the Park were robbed, with one of the owners appearing to be crying at the financial loss.
This is not the first time that Guyanese patrons have shown displeasure by using glass bottles to stone stage sets. In the past, concertgoers have used the empty bottles as missiles for a range of reasons, including to stone artists they are not feeling off of the stage or even when they are displeased with decisions to end the parties early like last night.
