Residents take issue with probe into police fatal shooting in Spanish Town

 

Residents of Backlands in Spanish Town, St. Catherine staged a protest along the Spanish Town Bypass on Friday afternoon over a double killing by the police in the area Wednesday.

 

The residents are disputing the police's version of events, particularly as it relates to one of the deceased men, identified as Thierry Headley.

 

His aunt told Radio Jamaica News that he was killed in cold blood. 

 

"A call dem call out Thierry; call dem call him out and kill him," she insisted, noting that he went out because he saw that it was the police. "So when him come out now and a go to the police dem, dem nuh do nut'n barring shoot him up, kill him. And if yuh look pon di shot dem, basically all when Thierry deh pon di grung dem still a shot him. Fi wah?" she bemoaned.  

 

The residents have also taken issue with INDECOM's investigation into the incident, saying it has not gone far enough. 

 

"If a person open fire, dem fi a probe di case and probe eh officers dem. Since dem seh di other party open fire, weh eh gunshot sit'n dem deh? Mi nuh see nuh hole inna di fence...suh which part di shot dem guh!?" Headley's 20-year-old sister questioned. 

 

The police say during a cordon and search operation in the community, Headley was shot after he and another man who was killed, Orlando Davis, fired at the team.

 

A third man managed to elude the security forces during the operation.

 

But INDECOM Commissioner Hugh Faulkner has moved to defend the integrity of the Commission's investigative process in the double fatal shooting.

Speaking with Radio Jamaica News, Mr. Faulker dismissed the claims that INDECOM investigators were negligent while carrying out their duties following the incident.

"Investigative scene inquiries were thoroughly conducted to include evidence gathering and witness canvassing. The family members of Mr. Headley were spoken to on the scene by an INDECOM investigator and as the investigation progresses or investigators will continue to have dialogue with the family to assist in their understanding of the investigative process."

He said the next phase of the process will include interviews with the officers involved, statement reviews, and further witness canvassing to get additional information.

"At the end of our investigative process, a file is compiled and submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions who is the prosecutorial authority for all INDECOM matters and any gap that exists, then that would be pointed out - that would be before any ruling for a charge or no charge. In this matter, we will also engage our family liaison officer who will have further contact with the family members in addition to the investigators," Mr. Faulkner added.

He said where additional information becomes available, INDECOM is willing to communicate with the relatives of Mr. Headley.