Knowing the dangers police officers face daily, Amadeo Bahadoor always cautioned his son about being careful on the job, but when Cpl Russell Bahadoor fell to his death yesterday, it was not what his family had prepared for.
Bahadoor suffered an atlanto-occipital dislocation at his Quinam Road, Penal, home yesterday. An autopsy performed by Dr Valery Alexandrov at the Forensic Science Centre said his neck was jarred against a wall, causing the separation of the spinal column from the skull base.
According to a report, Bahadoor, 38, a detective at the Penal CID, had just returned home in Penal. As he walked up the stairway, he leaned on a bannister which broke, causing him to fall approximately 12 feet. Investigators said the bannister was old and Bahadoor weighed close to 330 lbs.
His common-law wife, Alana Rose, woke up around 1.20 am and noticed his car parked in the yard. When she did not see him in the house, she checked outside and saw him lying at the base of the stairway.
She contacted 911 and paramedics along with the police; ASP Hunte, Insp Ramphal, Insp Subero, Sgt Neemai and Sgt Ramdeen responded but Bahadoor was already dead. His death was confirmed by District Medical Officer Dr Sandy Authur .
Teary-eyed colleagues gathered at Bahadoor’s parents’ home, a short distance away, to mourn with his family and help prepare for his wake. His father said he always warned his son about being careful on the job, especially with the amount of shootings and murders taking place. But the way he died came as a shock.
Senior Superintendent of the South Western Division Nazrool Hosein said Bahadoor would be difficult to replace, given his willingness to take on the challenges of the job. He said his officers are deeply affected by the death. He said he spoke with Bahadoor two days ago and everything was well with him.
“He was feared because he was a no-nonsense cop.”