Police officers, tasked with investigating a group of their colleagues who shot and killed three friends from Moruga in Barrackpore in 2011, chose to recreate the scene of the crime before completing their probe.
Lead investigator retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Raymond Craig gave three reasons for the move, which is not the standard procedure in local homicide investigations, as he testified before High Court Judge Carla Brown-Antoine and a 12-member jury at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
Craig claimed that he and his fellow members of the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) wanted a clearer picture of what occurred on the night of the shooting and to analyse witness statements from two of the trio’s friends, who were driving in front of them before they (the trio) were engaged by the officers.
“I also wanted to be fair to the accused in this matter,” Craig added.
During his lengthy testimony, Craig gave details of the various steps he took before and after charging Sgt Khemraj Sahadeo and PCs Renaldo Reviero, Roger Nicholas, Safraz Juman, Antonio Ramadin, and Glenn Singh with murdering Alana Duncan, Kerron Eccles, and Abigail Johnson in Barrackpore on July 22, 2011.
He explained that before recreating the scene of the shooting, he collected statements from eyewitnesses and CCTV camera footage from a nearby business.
He also collected medical records from the Princes Town Health Facility, where the trio was taken after they were shot by the officers.
He also obtained post-mortem reports for the trio from the Forensic Science Centre in St James and supplied officials of the centre with exhibits he and his colleagues had collected for testing.
Craig was also responsible for leading a group of investigators, who were tasked with executing search warrants at the homes of officers before they were charged.
He also gave a description of a desolate dirt track of the M2 Ring Road in Woodland that he visited as part of the probe.
However, Craig did not reveal what evidence, if any, was gathered at that location or its relevance to the case.
Craig also revealed that he attempted to interview Sahadeo, Reviero, and Juman before they were eventually charged.
All three officers declined to participate based on advice from their lawyers.
Craig ended his testimony by identifying numerous exhibits that he collected from the centre after the officers were charged.
The exhibits included bullet fragments and shotgun pellets that were removed from the three friends’ bodies during their post-mortems.
A gun, ammunition and a pistol magazine that were seized in the investigation were tendered into evidence and shown to the jury.
Craig is expected to be cross examined by the officers’ defence lawyers when the trial resumes this morning.
During his opening address in the case, earlier this year, special prosecutor Gilbert Peterson, SC, claimed that hours before the shooting Singh was contacted by two senior officers who told him they were building a case against Duncan’s common-law husband Shumba James for three murders.
Peterson claimed that the senior officers told Singh to look out for the car James was known to have used.
In his testimony, James said that on the day of the shooting Duncan accompanied him as he went to St Mary’s Police Post to report as part of his bail conditions for a charge related to a robbery in 2005.
He claimed that after completing the process, he and Duncan visited several bars in the community where they met Eccles, Johnson, and two other friends.
He said that when the group decided to drive to Barrackpore to purchase food, he decided to go with the two other friends while Duncan, Eccles, and Johnson followed behind in his brother’s car that he had borrowed.
James claimed that upon reaching the corner of Rochard Douglas Road and Gunness Trace in Barrackpore he saw a group of men, who he suspected of being police officers, standing at the side of the road.
He claimed that he and his two friends heard a volley of gunshots shortly after they drove past the group.
Earlier this week, one of James’ friends, who was with him, Marvin Figaro testified and gave a similar version of the events as James.
The officers are being represented by Israel Khan, SC, Ulric Skerritt, and Arissa Maharaj.
Elaine Green, Giselle Ferguson-Heller, and Katiesha Ambrose-Persadsingh are appearing alongside Peterson for the State.
