A pistol linked to the home invasion of Land Court Judge Nicola Pierre was tendered in court yesterday and a witness testified to finding it next to the body of a man killed in a shootout with police.
Taking the stand at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul was Corporal Kester Cosbert, who testified about the day that one of the suspects Warren McKenzie was apprehended.
McKenzie, Nicholas Narine, Premnauth Samaroo, Daymeion Millington, and Anthony David are on trial for the robbery of Justice Pierre and her husband, Mohamed Chan, as well as shooting at security guard Ron Peters on July 9, 2015.
Cosbert told the court that members of the SWAT team, Officer Caesar and other members of the Guyana Police Force, went to a bottom flat apartment at Craig, East Bank Demerara and upon their arrival, began to call out to the occupants of the apartment.
Cosbert said a man by the name of Rolston Morrison began to shoot in their direction and the team took cover and returned fire, hitting Morrison and McKenzie.
After the exchange of gun fire, he said, the police and the SWAT team entered the apartment via a window. Cosbert recalled that upon entering, he saw Morrison lying on the ground with a black Glock 24 pistol and ammunition next to him. The rank said he took possession of the weapon and the ammunition and also carried out a search and found two ladies watches and other articles on a bed. He took possession of these items as well.
Cosbert said he also saw McKenzie lying on the floor in the hallway of the apartment. He related that the two men were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The policemen recalled that he took the weapon and the ammunition he found to the ballistics section of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters at Eve Leary and handed them to ballistics expert Sergeant Eon Jackson. The ladies wrist watches he found were also lodged at Eve Leary, he added.
Cosbert testified that a few days later, he received the ballistics report from Jackson and lodged it at the Tactical Services Unit at Eve Leary.
He tendered the gun along with the ammunition in court.
Jackson had previously testified that when he conducted the ballistics test, he found that the casings from the robbery were discharged from the same pistol since they had the same impressions and striation marks in identical sequence.
Under cross-examination by McKenzie who is leading his own defence, Cosbert was asked if McKenzie was in the room with Morrison. McKenzie then said he was at a party at the time and got locked out of the apartment. He said the police started to shoot and he got hit.
Cosbert, in response to Mckenzie’s question, said McKenzie was not in the same room as Morrison.
Also taking the witness stand was Corporal Patrick Benjamin, who said he arrived at the scene of the robbery at Montrose and observed the scene. He recalled uplifting the bullets and other ammunition and placing them into a bag.
The trial continues today.
