Seven-year wait for justice

JENSEN LA VENDE

SEVEN years after her husband was shot dead,
the three police officers accused of making Dr Lavaughn Brathwaite-Borde a widow will appear in court today for an inquest into the death of three men.

One of the men killed was 28-year-old Nkosi Borde who, along with 21-year-old Nigel Eminess and 31-year-old Hayden Honore, all of Santa Cruz, were shot and killed by police in an alleged shoot-out. The two survivors, Shane Carmona, 25, and Clint Mitchell, 31, had eight charges laid against them by Ag Supt Stephen Maynard including shooting at the officers who are expected to make their first appearance before Chaguanas Magistrate Wendy Dougdeen-Bally today. The officers are Inshan Khan, Samuel Gardiner and Anton Sampson. Brathwaite-Borde, who now lives in the US with her son, has retained Brent Winter to represent her interest. An inquest was ordered by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions earlier this year. The trio was killed on November 12, 2011.

According to reports, members of the Central Division Task Force responded to a report of a robbery and spotted eight “suspects” leaving the scene in two vehicles. A chase ensued during which police said they were shot at and returned fire, hitting Borde, Honore and Hernandez. The police said they recovered a .357 magnum and a 9 mm Baretta, jewellery and cash at the scene.

Brathwaite-Borde told Newsday recently she has filed a civil suit against the State. At the time of her husband’s killing, Brathwaite-Borde was completing her doctoral studies in psychology. She said she is just interested in getting justice, not just for her but for the other families of the others killed in the incident. She and relatives of the murdered men maintain that the police acted hastily when they opened fire on the men who, relatives say, were unarmed and were, in fact, the victims of the robbery.