[UPDATED] ‘WE WILL GET JUSTICE’

WE WILL get justice. The country will get justice.

That was the confident response of Sterling Jacobs to news on Thursday that the probe into his son’s killing by police could lead to murder charges.

Seven officers who shot Joel Jacobs and two other men in Morvant in June could face murder charges while other officers who tried to conceal the crime by removing evidence from the scene and lodging false reports, could be charged with misbehaviour in public office.

These are among possible outcomes after the Police Complaints Authority sent its recommendations to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on completing its probe into the June 27 police-involved killings.

The deaths of Joel Jacobs, Noel Diamond and Israel Moses Clinton sparked public outrage leading to three days of protests in various parts of Port of Spain and other areas over what many described as the extra-judicial killing of unarmed people.

Responding to the news that the probe into his son’s killing has moved on, Sterling Jacobs, 64, a retired teacher, told Newsday, “This is what we expected to happen. We have been praying and hoping that with the kind of evidence they have, we will get justice. The country will get justice.”

He hopes the matter moves speedily so the family can clear his son’s name. He recalled that his son, who was celebrating his 38th birthday, left his home with Diamond to go to a nearby shop to buy alcohol. He said he heard the gunshots and when he went outside to investigate, the police ordered him back inside.

Since his son’s death, he said, the family has been in mourning and had little help from the State except for survivor’s benefit, which helps to maintain two young girls left behind without a father. The relatives of Diamond said they remain devastated by his “brutal slaying.”

“The family is confident that the PCA did a thorough investigation and continues to await justice in this matter,” a spokesperson stated by text message.

HONOURED IN US’ BLM

Jacobs said his son’s death was also highlighted during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the United States after police killed George Floyd, an unarmed man, in Minneapolis. His son’s name was on a heart-shaped stake among many others erected in California in August.

During one of the protests over the triple-killing, Ornella Greaves was shot dead in the Beetham Estate. A separate investigation is still under way to determine whether a police bullet claimed her life.

Days after the incident, the Prime Minister appointed a Community Recovery Committee, headed by psychologist Anthony Watkins, to reach out to depressed communities in East Port of Spain, Beetham, Morvant, Sea Lots, and other areas to try to quell the anger and hurt and find out the root causes of their pain.

A four-paragraph statement issued by the PCA on Thursday gave no indication of its recommendations, but video evidence already in the public domain supports the possibility there may be criminal charges of murder and misbehaviour in public office. Reliable sources also pointed to the possible serious criminal charges based on the evidence gathered during the probe.

The seven officers, all from the Inter-Agency Task Force, who shot the three men dead, were sent on administrative leave on July 6, while 11 other officers, assigned to the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB), were reassigned to desk duties.

PSB ALSO PROBING

A separate investigation by the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB), a unit in the police service which investigates allegations against police officers, is yet to be completed, but the DPP does not have to wait on that matter before reviewing the PCA’s file and deciding if evidence submitted can substantiate criminal charges.

President of the Police Association Insp Gideon Dickson said he preferred not to comment on the development until the police completed their probe, and he was not certain if the PCA’s report was final.

The PCA said in its statement on Thursday that its file was forwarded to the DPP “for further action in accordance with the principles of due process.”

After analysis of the evidence gathered by PCA investigators, it said, “The information was sent to the DPP, pursuant to Section 30 (1) of the PCA Act Chapter 15:05 which states: ‘The Authority may conduct a preliminary investigation to assist it to identify whether of now there is conduct to justify a more complete investigation under the Act, or refer it to the DPP, Commissioner (of Police) or (Police Service) Commission for further action.’ It added, “Our investigations and recommendations should provide assurance to both the public and the police that deaths or serious injuries that happen during or following police conduct would be properly handled.”

This story was originally published with the title "PCA sends police Morvant triple killing file to DPP" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

AN INVESTIGATION into the fatal police shooting of three men in Morvant on June 27, which sparked days of protests in several parts of the country, has been completed. The file has been sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Police Complaints Authority, in a statement on Thursday, did not say whether it had found sufficient evidence to support criminal charges against the officers whose conduct was under probe.

But for the matter to be referred to the DPP it is likely that PCA investigators found evidence to support a charge of a criminal offence, most likely murder.

Seven police officers assigned to the Inter-Agency Task Force, who discharged their weapons during the incident, were sent on administrative leave on July 6. Eleven others, assigned to the Guard and Emergency Branch, who were part of the operation on June 27, were put on desk duty by Police Commissioner Gary Griffith.

The police killing of Joel Jacobs, Noel Diamond and Israel Clinton was captured on at least eight CCTV cameras and the footage appeared not to conform to what the officers said in their statements.

The footage appeared to show three police jeeps speeding along Juman Drive, Second Caledonia and abruptly stop in the road as they passed a Nissan Tiida, which had pulled aside to let the police pass. Officers were seen running from the parked police vehicles.

The footage appeared to show Jacob standing at the left back of the car, with both hands in the air. The driver of the Tiida, Clinton, was also seen with his hands in the air. As the right rear window of the Tiida lowered, officers opened fire, striking Clinton and Diamond, who was in the back seat. The police then turned their weapons on Jacob, who fell into a drain on the side of the road.

The footage later appeared to show the officers dragging the bodies of the three men and throwing them in the back of a police jeep, which sped away.

The officers said Jacob retrieved a gun from the back seat and they opened fire, killing the men.

The PCA in its statement said its file had been forwarded to the DPP "for further action in accordance with the principles of due process."

After analysis of the evidence gathered by PCA investigators, it said. "the information was sent to the DPP, pursuant to Section 30 (1) of the PCA Act Chapter 15:05 which states: 'The Authority may conduct a preliminary investigation to assist it to identify whether of now there is conduct to justify a more complete investigation under the Act, or refer it to the DPP, Commissioner (of Police) or (Police Service) Commission for further action.'

It added, "Our investigations and recommendations should provide assurance to both the public and the police that deaths or serious injuries that happen during or following police conduct would be properly handled."