(Trinidad Guardian) Eight police officers have been charged with murder. Among the eight charged are a sergeant and a Corporal. The charges arise from a fatal police-involved shooting incident, which occurred in June 2020, in Morvant.
The following is a press release from the TTPS:
Eight Police Officers Remanded into Custody After Appearing in Court Charged with Murder.
A Sergeant and Corporal of Police were among eight officers remanded into custody, after they appeared virtually before a Port of Spain Magistrate today, each charged with murder, arising from a fatal police-involved shooting incident, which occurred in June 2020, in the Morvant district.
No. 14780 Sgt. JOSEPH SOLOMON, 44, with 22 years’ service,
No. 12336 Cpl CHARLES BUDRI, 55, with 34 years’ service,
No. 17698 PC SHERWIN BAPTISTE, 41, with 19 years’ service,
No. 17998 PC COLIN FURLONGE, 39, with 13 years’ service,
No. 19283 PC VAUGHN ST. CYR, 39, with 11 years’ service,
No. 8685 PC JAMEEL MOHAMMED, 42, with 9 years’ service,
No. 16638 PC SEAN LORD, 42, with 19 years’ service and
No. 17752 PC MARK LEWIS, 41, with 13 years’ service
were each charged with three counts of murder, when they appeared before Senior Magistrate Brian Dabideen, in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court, on Tuesday 19th July, 2022.
The accused were all remanded into custody and the matter adjourned to August 16th, 2022.
On Saturday 27th June, 2020, a party of officers from the Guard and Emergency Branch and the Inter-Agency Task Force, were on an exercise at 2nd Caledonia Road, Morvant, when they stopped a gold coloured Tiida motor vehicle with three male occupants; Joel Jacob, 38, Israel Clinton, 27 and Noel Diamond, 46, all of Morvant.
The officers alleged that during the incident, one of the occupants of the vehicle pointed a firearm at them causing them to discharge their firearms in the direction of the men. The men died at the scene.
An investigation was launched into the incident, supervised by Supt. Wayne Abbott of the Financial Investigations Branch.
The officers were charged with the offences on Tuesday 19th July, 2022, following advice received from Director of Public Prosecutions, Roger Gaspard SC, on Monday 18th July, 2022.