Eight cops detained in Morvant triple fatality

In this file photo, police investigators re-enact the crime scene where three men were killed on June 27, 2020 at Juman Drive, Second Caledonia, Morvant.  - Marvin Hamilton
In this file photo, police investigators re-enact the crime scene where three men were killed on June 27, 2020 at Juman Drive, Second Caledonia, Morvant. - Marvin Hamilton

Eight police officers whose conduct is under investigation in the fatal police shooting of three men in Morvant two years ago have been detained by investigators overnight.

Newsday has confirmed that the operation to bring in the officers who fired their weapons killing Joel Jacob, Noel Diamond and Israel Clinton went into effect on Thursday night.

A special task force led by Supt Wayne Abbott led the mission and the detained officers are being confined in separate police stations.

Newsday was told that the operation is still active and other officers are likely to be detained.

The three men were shot dead on June 27, 2020 near the Auto Guru building, Juman Drive, Second Caledonia and the incident was captured on CCTV cameras.

Police claimed officers opened fire on the three men after one of them pointed a weapon. However, security camera footage conflicted with the officers' account as two of them had their hands in the air when they were shot repeatedly.

A group of 18 officers from the Guard and Emergency Branch and the Inter-Agency Task Force were involved in that operation. Among the officers detained overnight are those assigned to the Inter-Agency Task Force, one investigator confirmed.

The killing of the three men sparked three days of violent protests in the capital city and other parts of the country and the Prime Minister appointed a committee to find out the root causes of the protests.

Sources say once the final interviews are done, Abbott and his team will consult the Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard SC, for advice on how to proceed.

Acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob in an interview on i95.5 fm on Friday said one officer was arrested on Thursday night and seven others on Friday.
The homicide investigation also includes possible acts of misbehavior in office by attempting to conceal a potential crime.

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"Eight cops detained in Morvant triple fatality"

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