Relatives of murdered cop seek answers a year later

Twelve months have passed since PC Clarence Gilkes said goodbye to his nephews before reporting for duty for the last time.

Today, long after Gilkes' name has slipped from the public's eye, his family continues to live with the trauma of his death.

He is remembered as a dedicated policeman, bravely carrying out his duty.

But the facts surrounding his death tell a disturbing story which in some ways remain unclear even one year later.

Gilkes, 44, was shot and killed when he and a team of police confronted Jehlano Romney on a staircase on the steep hillside of Richplain, Diego Martin, on the afternoon of April, 22, 2022.

While the official account given by fellow officers at the time claimed Gilkes was shot by Romney, an autopsy revealed he was shot in the head from behind by a bullet from a police gun.

On August, 6, 2022, two of Gilkes' teammates, PC Kristian Genty and WPC Crystal Williams-Bowman, were jointly charged with shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Genty was additionally charged with Gilkes' murder.

Romney, 29, of Upper Richplain, was murdered on November, 13, 2022 in Morvant, but the case against the officers will proceed.

Speaking with Newsday at their family's home at La Resource Road, D'Abadie, last month, Gilkes' older brother Mervyn Gilkes reflected on his brother's bizarre death.

Images of the younger Gilkes are on the wall. The programme for his funeral is stuck to a rack with greeting cards, while a T-shirt with his image worn at the funeral hangs in the living room.

In all the pictures, Gilkes is frozen in time, wearing his police cap and grey tunic.

For Mervyn, the pain lingers on.

"Look at the way the man died.

"I sit down and think it was a gunshot to the back of my brother's head he got, you know.

"He didn't die right away.

"I sometimes wonder what his last words were."

Gilkes was the second youngest of five children.After graduating from the Arima Central Secondary School, he worked several jobs to support himself and his family.

He started off as a bag boy for the neighbourhood grocery before he went on to work as an On the Job Trainee (OJT) in Mt Hope, while studying for his master's degree in business administration.

Gilkes' accomplishments and ambition had always been a source of pride for their family, heis brother said.

It was this ambition that led Gilkes to join the police in 2011 which he hoped to use as a stepping stone to a law degree.

"He always said he wanted to learn the work. He had a lot of court matters and he used to go to court and he wanted to learn law, so he was using that to get experience."

Recalling the day his brother was killed, Gilkes said he was not even rostered to work, and was about to get a haircut when he was asked to report to duty.

He said while Gilkes had no children, he but a close relationship with his nephews, 15 and 19, who helped him run errands. They were the last to see him alive.

"They were there and they helped him finish shave his head before he left and went to work.

"Before he left, the last thing he said was, 'Allyuh be careful on the road.'"

"It's those children who used to go to his house when he have anything...sometimes he would call me and always have something for them. He used to help them with books and stationery, whatever they needed."

Gilkes said his nephews are still traumatised by the death of their uncle, a man they considered their mentor.

He said one of his nieces was also affected by the death, as she is now interested in becoming an attorney to fulfil her uncle's dream.

"I hear her talk sometimes, she talks about studying law and revisiting the case of his death one day."

Like his niece, Gilkes says he also has questions about his brother's death.

Referring to several letters he wrote to the police service after Gilkes' death seeking further details, the elder Gilkes says he has yet to receive a response.

"They could have at least written to say they couldn't give us that information."

When Newsday visited Richplain, Diego Martin, on the afternoon of Gilkes' death, residents lined the street, trying to catch a glimpse of the crime scene. Police set up a roadblock several yards away from the staircase where Gilkes was shot, restricting access to people who were not residents.

At the time little information on what happened was available.

It was only when then police commissioner McDonald Jacob visited the scene he told reporters Gilkes had been shot.

Several residents, including Kadaffi Romney, the mother of Jehlano Romney, challenged the commissioner's account.

Gilkes' teammates and Romney, the man who police claimed shot at them, had the answers.

Romney escaped from police and remained in hiding for almost a week, fearing for his life.

Gilkes said further updates on his brother's death in the weeks that followed were also difficult to get.

"First of all it was a lie about how he died.

"We just had to keep up to date with the news to try and find out what really happened, because nobody from the police came and told us exactly what happened."

In the days that followed the Gilkes family could only listen and wait for the truth.

On April 26, 2022 it was revealed that Gilkes had been shot from behind with a police-issued bullet, two facts which directly contradicted the version of events reported by police.

Gilkes said while the truth of his brother's death was unpleasant, it was necessary for him and the rest of the family to begin their grieving process.

"The first thing they came out and said was that the man (Romney) shot him and killed him, and if it wasn't for the ballistics and the autopsy, we might still believe Romney killed him.

"It's not like he died from covid19 or that he was sick, it's the way he died. They say it was an accident, but I don't know. I can't say because I wasn't there.

"But the fact of the matter is he was shot at the back of the head."

Police later said Romney was no longer considered a suspect in Gilkes' death, but still had to be questioned on the incident.

Romney and his attorney at the time Criston J Williams visited the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region I office early on the morning of April, 28, 2022.

But even after these developments in the enquiry were made public, the narrative of Gilkes being killed by gunmen persisted.

At Gilkes' funeral on April, 29, 2022, then senior superintendent of the Western Division Kelvern Thompson, during his tribute, continued to claim the team had been fired upon.

Gilkes said he recalled hearing this and was confused by the remarks, as the findings of his brother's autopsy were then publicly known.

"It wasn't just me, but I had a lot of family who were there, and they were very upset with what he said, because I think the information already came out that it did not happen like that. If almost everybody in TT knew that, how come he (Thompson) didn't know that?"

On May 6, 2022 three police officers – an acting corporal and two police constables – who were part of the team with Gilkes on April 22, 2022 were suspended. Thompson was also sent on vacation leave.

A statement from the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) on June 30, 2022 claimed the police abused their authority and deliberately misled acting commissioner Jacob.

While the enquiries led to arrests and charges against two officers, Gilkes said it is of little comfort to the family, as his brother is still gone.

He also says the murder of Romney has not given him much encouragement.

For now, Gilkes says the loss of his brother is a constant struggle, as he is often approached by friends who mistake him for Clarence, owing to their striking resemblance.

"A Sunday morning I was here and I heard someone was calling me. She saw me and said, 'I thought you dead.' She said, 'It wasn't you who used to work in the grocery?' I said no, that was my brother.

"The woman stand up outside and cried.

"The other day again a man was passing down the road and said, 'Aye, you know how long I ain't see you?' He walk back and said, 'It wasn't you who used to work in the grocery?' I said no, that's my brother, he died.

"It's just something that I have to deal with."

But more than being mistaken for his brother, Gilkes says Clarence's warmth and personality will always be missed.

Clarence would have turned 45 on March 11. He will be remembered for his strong sense of duty to his family; between work and court appearances, he would still find the time to visit or at least call.

The elder Gilkes said despite being one of the younger siblings, Clarence still felt responsible for their well-being and recalled the irony of one of their last conversations.

"The last thing I told him was that I was the eldest, so I may die first, and if anything happened to me, he should take whatever money I have saved and share it up among the children. He said no problem, and look, he come and died now."

On police accountability, Gilkes says while it was difficult to trust the police, given his experiences, he wanted to encourage all officers to do what was right.

He also called on the Police Commissioner to do all she could to protect the integrity of the service.

"If Erla Harewood-Christopher decides that she is one of the good ones and she wants to weed out the bad officers, then she has to start it. Don't just say it. People like to see action ,and they'll realise this lady is serious."

It is always painful dealing with the death of a younger sibling.

While most of Gilkes' family may have accepted the danger that comes with choosing a career in law enforcement, they never envisioned his death the way it occurred.

"It had a big psychological effect on me.

"Sometimes I replay the incident over and over in my head.

"It's not a nice thing to know you were a part of an organisation that talks about serving and protecting and accountability and then this comes and happens."

For Mervyn Gilkes, the road to recovery may be long, but he is prepared to make the journey.

He only hopes the authorities are willing to do the same.

Responding to Newsday's questions via WhatsApp, an official from the police public information unit offered its support to Gilkes' family and said the police service made the health and well-being of officers and their families a major priority.

Referring to the police Employee Assistance Programme and the Victim and Witness Support Unit, the officer said such units work with families to offer support and counselling.

"Any loss of an officer, moreso in the line of duty can have a very traumatic and demoralising effect on not only his or her relatives but colleagues as well.

"The circumstances under which PC Gilkes met his death made the situation even worse.

"The organisation regrets the loss of Gilkes who was a valuable contributor in the fight against crime.

"It has been a year since PC Gilkes lost his life and our hearts still go out to his family and colleagues.

"We deeply regret that this incident ever occurred."

Police also reported that to date 1,120 body cameras have been issued to officers. Of these, 30 were issued to the Western Division Task Force, where Gilkes was assigned.

Asked if Gilkes' death had prompted the police to review the way they engaged with suspects, the officer said training was an ongoing exercise where deficiencies in procedure were addressed and improved.

"Police-citizen contact must be continuously reviewed if we are to maintain professionalism in the service we provide.

"How our police officers act and respond in circumstances is guided by policies and standard operating procedures. Our use-of-force policy is one such policy.

"Where there are gaps identified training and retraining is implemented. We do understand the dynamism of crime and it is critically important that we employ the best practices as we continue to build competence of officers."