A verdict of “death by misadventure” has been returned by the coroner’s jury, following the shooting death of Greiggs resident Alex Matthews in January.
The office of the Director of Public Prosecution said in a press release on Friday that the five-member jury, sitting with Coroner Rickie Barnett on Tuesday returned a unanimous verdict of death by misadventure following a two-day sitting at the Mesopotamia Magistrate’s Court.
Matthews was shot by an off duty police officer, Cuthbert Morris, during an incident at Greiggs on the Jan. 16.
Initial reports were that Matthews, who has had mental problems in the past, was attacking a woman and the police office shot him in an attempt to protect the woman.
A photo of the deceased taken shortly after the shooting and circulated via new media, shows him lying, presumable dead, next a cutlass (machete).
“The decision of the
Coroner’s Inquest confirms that there was no criminal wrong doing that caused the death of Matthews,” Director of Public Persecutions Colin Williams said in the release.
I am sure once again the jury were misdirected.
When you have a police force operating under the premise of “we will hunt them down until they exist no more” a shoot to kill policy, take no prisoners, we will hunt them down and exact vengeance, a killing policy.
When the police hear those kind of statements coming from a top government minister in parliament, how else do you expect the police to behave.
This man like a half dozen before him could have been shot in the foot, or the leg. Killing him can be little more than deliberate murder.
Peter binose i couldnt agree with you more, these police always getting with murder talking bout death by misadventure kmt
I will like to see you two in the line of fire or infront a cutlass attack and see what you would do to protect your life or the life of another. … the split second that it takes to make a decision a life can be save or be taken… so unless u have lived through the life of an officer, why should u lay the blame of the police….
Remember they shot a prisoner dead who was escaping through a toilet window at the law courts. They could of wounded him because he had no weapon and was of no threat. But they shot him until he existed no more.
They shot a homeless man in Kingstown, a man who had a broken leg and was no threat to them.
This is like the wild west.