Attorney Nigel Hughes said he wrote to Commis-sioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie and Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) Justice (ret’d) William Ramlal in relation to the investigation into the fatal shooting of Dartmouth businessman, Orin Boston and is yet to get a response.
“We wrote to the police. We also wrote to Mr Ramlal, head of the PCA. Neither of them has responded,” Hughes told Stabroek News yesterday in an invited comment.
According to Hughes, the purpose of the letters was to seek information on whether the more than month-long investigation has been completed and the outcome.
“We wrote to enquire about whether the investigation was completed and whether they were going to institute charges and what those charges are going to be,” Hughes said.
It has been more than a month since Boston was fatally shot by a policeman in his home and the authorities remain silent.
Efforts made to contact Hoppie yesterday for an update proved futile since calls to his phone went unanswered.
Hughes explained to Stabroek News that the lawyer and the family of Boston is giving the authorities “ample” time to carry out the investigation and institute charge/s.
He said while the option of private criminal proceedings is “always available”, they would prefer for the state to “discharge its responsibility to investigate and prosecute what is clearly a crime”.
“We believe we have sufficient evidence to support the charge of murder,” Hughes said.
Boston, 29, of Hoppie Street, Dartmouth was shot and killed on September 15 during what was said to be an anti-crime operation.
More than a week after the incident, police had confirmed that the file was sent to the PCA for a “review”.
Asked for an update on the probe at the sidelines of an event two Fridays ago, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said that the case file on the killing of Boston is still with the PCA.
“It’s with them [the PCA]. They have to do the investigation. So I wouldn’t want to… I couldn’t add anything new to it,” Benn had told Stabroek News.
He had added that the rank accused of inflicting the fatal wound remains under close arrest.
In a statement, the police had said that SWAT team ranks were conducting the operation at around 4.40 am during which they went to the home of Boston to conduct a search.
During the search, the police said there was a “confrontation” between Boston and the police, resulting in him being shot.
Boston was rushed to the Suddie Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An autopsy later revealed that Boston died as a result of haemorrhage and shock due to gunshot injuries to the chest.
Boston’s widow, Feona Boston, had previously told reporters that the police kicked down their back door, went into their bedroom and shot the businessman. She said that ranks were all over the house with guns and her two children, ages 6 and 7, witnessed the entire ordeal.
Contacted recently, Feona told Stabroek News that since the incident, she has not been provided with any details as it relates to the investigation.
“The police, nobody ain’t given we a proper answer… Since this thing happen… today is twenty-something days since my husband dead and I ain’t hear nothing. Nobody ain’t saying anything,” Feona stressed.
