(Trinidad Guardian) – Exactly two years after Ornella Greaves was shot dead while recording protests at the Beetham Gardens, the Police Com-plaints Authority (PCA) has completed its investigation into her death and found police officers may have been culpable in the matter.
In a release yesterday, the PCA said its findings and recommendations have been sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution.
Greaves, a mother of five, was pregnant when she was shot during a violent clash between police officers and Beetham Garden residents on June 30, 2020.
The residents were protesting the police shooting of Joel Jacobs, Israel Clinton and Noel Diamond in Morvant on June 26, 2020.
Greaves had left her home to record the protest when gunshots were heard and she was seen lying on the ground. She had been shot in the lower torso.
Then-police commissioner Gary Griffith refuted the claims by residents that Greaves had been killed by police but in its release, the PCA suggested otherwise.
“During one of these protests, Ms Ornella Greaves, an expectant mother of five, left her home in Beetham Gardens to observe what was happening and was fatally shot by police gunfire,” the release stated.
The PCA noted that two more people had also reported being shot by police while running for cover when officers opened fire during the protest.
“During the course of its enquiries, the PCA’s team reviewed the available documentary and medical evidence; statements of victims and persons who were present during the protests; reports of police officers; evidence elicited from CCTV Footage and Digital Information, as well as the findings of an independent expert witness,” the release stated.
The authority said as an independent oversight body, it is committed to ensuring that police officers do not act above the rule of law and empowering citizens to report incidents of police misconduct.