‘You weren’t there either’

RESPONDING to a statement made by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, who said that there was no one alive to say what really happened last Thursday in Trou Macaque when five people – including two teenagers – were killed, a relative of Kudeim Phillip advised that the commissioner should take the information he got from his subordinates with a pinch of salt.

In earlier reports, Griffith commented that he had no sympathy for people defending criminal activity and that the so-called witnesses were not in the room when the shoot-out occurred, so they did not know what happened. Yesterday, relatives said he was not there either.

“He wasn’t there either,” said a relative, “so he cannot say that an officer was shot in the chest by one of the shooting victims. You cannot always believe everything a police officer says. Police lie as well.”

Relatives also asked where were the firearms which were allegedly found after the shooting.

Even as family members of the slain teenager were making comments on the shooting, his brother was arrested by Inter-Agency Task Force officers, in relation to an outstanding warrant.

Newsday was told that the suspect was arrested for an offence and was due to appear in court but missed the date. Family members said they arrested the man in the same area his younger brother was shot.

Relatives of Shekeem Francois said they intend to go to the Police Complaints Authority, but they may go after an autopsy is done today at the Forensic Science Centre (FSC) in St James.

Family members of at least four of the shooting victims were at the FSC on Friday, waiting to have the victims’ bodies released to them.

The autopsies were pushed back to this week.

Francois’ mother, Joanne, told Newsday she was too distraught to respond to the comments made by the commissioner.