Pathologist: Man in Morvant triple killing had left hand raised

A second autopsy on a man police claimed pointed a gun at them in Morvant on June 27, suggests his left hand was upraised when he was shot. Joel Jacobs was one of three men killed by police who stopped the car they were in at Juman Drive.

The other men are Noel Diamond and Israel Clinton.

Prof Hubert Daisley did the second autopsy on Jacobs on July 1. On page seven of his report, Daisley said Jacobs’ hand must have been raised when he was shot.

“In the left armpit were two entry wounds located eight inches and ten inches from the left shoulder joint,” Daisley said.

“Each wound measured 0.5 inches in diameter. These wounds occurred while the victim’s left arm was up in the air.”

The nine-page report went on to detail each entry and exit wound, including those to the back.

“From the nape of the neck, on the back, there is a cluster of wounds each approximately 0.4 inches in diameter in the lower thoracolumbar-sacral area – nine in number. Were these distant shots? On the left buttock from the nape of the neck is another cluster of entry wounds – eight in number.”

On November 12, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) completed their investigations into the incident and sent its file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The PCA recommended to the DPP that the officers who said they fired at Jacobs be charged.

The police service is yet to complete its investigation.

Jacobs was celebrating his birthday Diamond and Clinton when they were killed.

Six police officers gave statements saying they all shot at Jacobs while he was inside the car pointing a gun at a police sergeant. The six fired a total of 51 shots. None of the statements explained how Diamond and Clinton, who were in the front seats, were shot.

All six shooters said Jacobs came out of the car with his hands raised, turned around and then returned to the vehicle where he dropped the back right window, pointed a gun and was shot. Jacobs somehow managed to make his way out of the car and collapsed on the road. The three men were taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital where they were declared dead.

The killings 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.

During one of the protests, Ornella Greaves was shot dead at Beetham Estate. A separate investigation is still underway 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.