Just over two years after policeman Orville Tucker was accused of killing a young man at Nabaclis, he was set free in the High Court by Justice Roxanne George who upheld no-case submissions in the case.
Tucker was indicted on a charge of manslaughter Tuesday for the November 13, 2005 murder of Carl Abrams at Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara.
A furore had erupted in the village shortly after the shooting with residents claiming that Abrams was murdered.
The policeman was freed on Tuesday after Justice George upheld no-case submissions made by his attorney Bernard De Santos, SC. De Santos argued that Tucker was acting in self-defence on the day in question and Abrams had first shot at the officer. Further, he noted that there were no eyewitnesses.
During the one-week trial state counsel Fabayo Azore who was acting in the capacity of prosecutor called several witnesses to the stand who testified to hearing an explosion on the day in question and later venturing from their homes to find a wounded Abrams lying on the ground.
One witness, Sabrina Campbell, recalled that the incident happened right in front of her home.
The woman said she went outside after hearing the sound and found Abrams injured. She later rushed him to the public hospital in the city where he succumbed.
De Santos in defending Tucker said the officer shot the deceased after Abrams had discharged a round in his direction.
Based on Tucker’s story Abrams was a suspect in a report of threatening behaviour in which a firearm was alleged to have been used against a resident in the area. While being chased by Abrams the resident ran into Tucker.
Tucker said Abrams fired a shot at him and he fell down. He then responded by discharging a round at the young man hitting him in the chest.
Other evidence in court revealed that one spent shell which came from Tucker’s gun was recovered from the scene and the gun that Abrams was alleged to have been carrying at the time was never found.
The incident occurred close to a trench and Tucker said that Abrams threw the weapon into the trench.
The trench was combed but no gun was ever found.
