Senior Reporter
anna-lisa.paul@guardian.co.tt
As the police investigation into the death of prison officer Kerry Sherwood at a firing range in Chaguaramas on Friday continues, one of his colleagues says he does not believe the officer was suicidal, as was being claimed.
Although the death has so far been classified as unnatural by the T&T Police Service (TTPS), Sherwood’s batchmate says they are eagerly awaiting the findings, which should include video footage of what had transpired at the range.
The 35-year-old father of one, who lived at Second Trace, Tunapuna, and was attached to the Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, was reportedly shot in the right side of his head whilst allegedly practicing at MH Tactical Training Resort, Mt St Catherine Road, Chaguaramas.
He was reportedly found by a firearms instructor at 2 pm in Bay 5, which is located on the western side of the compound. He was taken to the St James Infirmary, where he later died.
The 38-year-old instructor reported that whilst preparing to conduct a class at 1.30 pm, he discovered one Glock 17 pistol and one magazine with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, which had been placed atop a table, missing. He reportedly alerted a colleague and the two began searching the compound for the missing gun and ammunition.
It was alleged the men found Sherwood lying motionless at Bay 5 bleeding from his head. The missing gun, a pair of safety glasses and earplugs were found between Sherwood’s legs.
The instructor reportedly cleared the firearm before placing it in a bag, and the two placed Sherwood in the tray of a private van, which was used to transport him to the hospital.
Sherwood’s black Toyota Aqua, which was in the parking lot, was later towed to the Carenage Police Station for safekeeping. The gun and ammunition were also turned over to the police.
Speaking with Guardian Media at Sherwood’s family home in Curepe yesterday, his colleague and friend appeared to be in shock still.
Providing moral support to the grieving family, the officer, who requested not to be named, said he had reached out to Sherwood on Friday morning but had not received a response to the WhatsApp message.
He said, “I know him to be like any average man; more or less, he liked to go out and enjoy himself. Like everybody, he would go through whatever he was going through in his life.”
Saying Sherwood never struck him as being suicidal or suffering from any sort of mental anxiety, he said a possible explanation could be what firearm users sometimes refer to as a stoppage with the weapon.
“Sometimes you could be using a firearm and encounter a stoppage, which is while you shooting, you squeezing the trigger but nothing coming out. A lot of people, while addressing a stoppage, mightn’t do it the correct way, and they could cause a negligent discharge and cause harm to themselves,” he explained.
He added, “So for MH, from their angle, it may look like a suicide.”
However, he added, “For me, I don’t know him to be suicidal.”
Admitting accidents can happen, Sherwood’s friend said the two had become close after training during the COVID pandemic.
He said, “Like every other person, he had his unique personality, but he was like everybody else.”
He said Sherwood was not married.
He dismissed the suggestion that Sherwood could have been the target of any criminal elements or the victim of a hit, noting the training facility was an established organisation with strict protocols and regulations.
He said, “It is a professional place of business. It have cameras going in and cameras going out. ... A next thing people are hinting at too is that a big boy could have a negligent discharge and hit him, but for now, I’m taking it as a negligent discharge on his behalf.”
In a release on Friday hours after the incident, the MH Tactical Response Group extended condolences to Sherwood’s family and referred to the incident as a suicide.