An autopsy on the body of murder accused Sherlon Brown, who died several days after being injured in a fracas at the Port-of-Spain State Prison, last Tuesday, did not go ahead as planned yesterday.
Guardian Media understands that Brown’s mother was contacted to visit the Forensic Science Centre (FSC) in St James to identify his body so that the post-mortem could proceed.
However, she did not attend as she was reportedly making arrangements, through her attorney Alexia Romero, for an independent pathologist to observe the autopsy.
A similar procedure was used in October, last year, by relatives of 22-year-old Emmanuel Joseph after he died shortly after being remanded at the Eastern Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre in Arima for the attempted murder of Deputy Prisons Commissioner Sherwyn Bruce and his bodyguard.
While the Prison Service initially claimed that Joseph was pronounced dead at hospital after complaining about chest pains, a post-mortem listed his cause of death as shock and haemorrhage, polytrauma and blunt force trauma injuries “all over his body”.
Speaking with Guardian Media hours after learning of her son’s death on Friday, Brown’s mother vowed to take legal action over what transpired but noted that she would await a second opinion on his cause of death to decide.
Responding to questions over Brown’s death at a press conference yesterday afternoon, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said, “I can give the family the assurance that from where I am in terms of police investigation and assessment by FSC, no haste will be spared to provide the answers which they no doubt, as a family afflicted, will seek.”
While Hinds declined to comment extensively on the incident at the prison, he described Brown’s death as unfortunate.
“It is very unfortunate that someone, a citizen, lost his life. It is always going to be unfortunate,” he said.
Hinds noted that the police probe would most likely consider whether prison officers acted outside of their lawful authority.
“All of these matters will be in the mix as an investigation into the facts and circumstances of this matter is made known. I have to be patient. I urge you to be patient in that regard,” he said.
Brown, of Long Circular Road, St James, first entered the prison in late October 2020 when he was remanded into custody after being charged alongside two men with murdering 22-year-old Joshua Fortune.
Fortune was shot dead near his home on Balbadie Hill, Belle Vue, Long Circular, St James, on September 18, 2019.
Last Tuesday, the Prison Service said the fracas erupted after an inmate refused to return to his cell, becoming violent and uncontrollable. It said other inmates rushed to his defence when the prison officer defended himself.
The officer called for backup from his colleagues. This ended with 17 officers and six inmates nursing injuries.