Woman cop to tell all on Grand Bazaar shootout

A woman constable assigned to the police Crime Scenes Unit is assisting in the investigation into the shootout at the Grand Bazaar car park, on Wednesday night, between a police sergeant and a corporal.

The constable was with the corporal at the Ruby Tuesday restaurant around 9.35 pm when they were confronted by a Central Division sergeant, who made allegations against the corporal.

The constable, who was caught in the middle of the row, was rescued by estate constables from Telecom Security, who took her to safety before the sergeant fired the first shot at the corporal .

She was expected to be interviewed yesterday by Supt Sheldon David and the Professional Standards Bureau, who are probing the shootout.

Investigators said yesterday the sergeant, who is divorced, was extremely close to the constable.

On Wednesday night he learnt that his former best friend, the corporal, was with the constable at Grand Bazaar and became enraged.

He reportedly rushed to Grand Bazaar and confronted the corporal, telling him, “You make me lose my house and my wife, and I not taking this tonight!” The shootout ensued. When it ended, the sergeant had been shot four times and the corporal three.

A total of 28 spent shells was found on the spot, along with eight live rounds.

The men were taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex and their guns handed over to investigators.

Yesterday sources said the sergeant and corporal were business partners in renting cars in Tobago.

They were so close that when the sergeant and his wife had domestic issues, the corporal would mediate. However, the sergeant’s marriage ended in divorce and his wife was left with the marital home. It is alleged that the sergeant had accused the corporal of being too friendly with his ex-wife and this led to several confrontations. Last August the two had a war of words in the Chaguanas area and one allegedly threatened to shoot the other.