(Trinidad Express) Eight police officers have been detained following the deaths of three men in Morvant in 2020.
One officer was detained on Thursday night, while the other seven were detained yesterday morning.
This was confirmed by acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob yesterday morning.
Jacob said the eight officers will now be interviewed by a team of investigators from the Professional Standards Bureau, following which, they will approach the Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard SC for instructions on what charges, if any, should the eight persons face.
“This is just the result of a continuation of an investigation which began in 2020 following the deaths of three persons in Morvant. Initially, we appointed an ASP from the South Western Division to spearhead this investigation as we wanted to try our best to ensure a sense of independence in our enquiries. So ASP Abbot was assisted by Insp Persad and a team of other persons from the PSB, and the officers were detained,” Jacob said.
He noted that this investigation was part of the police service’s commitment to ensure that ‘rule of law’ was applicable to all persons, including officers of the TTPS.
“Without speaking directly on this matter, as it is still ongoing, what I can say is that following allegations made against officers, we do our duty to investigate them. So depending on what comes before us, it’s not always about weeding out corrupt officers, because while this is a priority for the police service, one also has to remember that rule of law is applicable to all citizens of this nation. Justice needs to be applicable for all. And this justice can even be exonerating officers who may be accused of being involved in certain activities. Or determining the truth of situations that arose. It all depends on the evidence that is unearthed during enquiries like these. So if at the end of such investigations, persons are held culpable, then they will face the full brunt of the law, no matter who they are. And if at the end they are found to be innocent then they will be exonerated. So operations like these, are about ensuring justice and maintaining the rule of law in our country,” Jacob said.
Joel Jacob, 38, also called Lion, Noel Diamond, 46, and Israel Moses Clinton, 27, were killed on June 27, 2020, in a confrontation with police in Morvant.
Their deaths sparked sporadic protests in several communities across Trinidad for almost three successive days.
Initial police reports claimed that the men had opened fire on the officers first, and were killed in an exchange of fire.
However, CCTV footage that captured part of the incident was subsequently released, and the footage appeared to show a scenario that went against the claims of the officers involved – one of the main ones being that two of the men were seen holding their hands up when confronted by the officers just before they were shot at.
A total of 18 officers were involved in this incident, and the Express was told that as a result, more persons could be detained by the end of the day.