Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) have remained mum for a third day since one of their ranks shot and killed a man, allegedly claiming that he was an intruder.
The silence comes amidst reports that senior police officers are objecting to the media describing as homicides some of the killings in the country, including the three people that police officers had shot and killed in the line of duty before last week.
The killing on Thursday in Fairbairn Pasture of villager 24-year-old Ravito “Bjay” Llewellyn, brings to four the number of people gunned down by police officers in SVG this year.
However, unlike the three other cases, there is no clear indication that the officer who shot and killed Llewellyn did so in the line of duty.
In fact, police have remained totally silent on the circumstances in which Llewellyn met his death.
However, multiple sources have told iWitness News that Llewellyn was shot and killed by a female corporal of police attached to one of the specialised units of the constabulary.
The sources say that the officer told her colleagues that Llewellyn was an intruder at the time when she shot him, resulting in his death.
The man is alleged to have been shot in the torso.
On Sunday, Jomo Thomas, a lawyer for Llewellyn’s family told iWitness News that he and Llewellyn’s family are equally in the dark as the public regarding what happened.
“There’s nothing that I can say. The family does not even know where this young man was shot,” Thomas told iWitness News.
“All we know is that the place they assume is less than 50 feet from his father’s house, where he lived.”
The lawyer said he had seen reports in the media saying that it was alleged that Llewellyn was an intruder.
“We have no evidence that he was an intruder. They said he was there with about three other persons. We have no evidence that that was the case.”
“All we know is that he worked with Mark Richardson and they dropped him home between 3:30 and 4 a.m., which is around the same time when he was shot. Stranger things have happened but there is a little scepticism about him leaving work at 3 o’clock then going to rob somebody’s house at 4 o’clock.”
Thomas said he had not spoken with Llewellyn’s father, but Llewellyn’s sister had related to him (Thomas) a conversation she had with Llewellyn’s father.
“… and this is double hearsay,” the lawyer noted, adding, “The sister said her father told her when he (the father) was leaving to go probably to work at about four o’clock, he saw some police in the area, which was close to his house.”
He said the family was informed around five hours later that Llewellyn had been killed.
“… at nine o’clock, they got a call which said that they must go to the mortuary and the sister went to the mortuary and recognised the young man as her brother”.
Thomas said that he called the Calliaqua Police Station hoping to speak to the station sergeant of police who is said to be leading the investigation.
He said he was told that the senior officer was on leave until Monday.
Thomas told iWitness News the corporal with whom he spoke “could give me no information, except he said whatever question I have, he would keep them and he would convey them to [the] station sergeant … because he thought she might have come in yesterday.
“He was kind enough to call me back in the evening to say that [the station sergeant] did not come in but he’s still committed to conveying the questions and getting me some answers.”
Thomas said that he and Llewellyn’s family are hoping that the police took pictures of the scene of the shooting.
“Evidently, where he was shot, the blood and everything was swept up in short order,” the lawyer told iWitness News.
“I would like to know the doctor who declared him dead because that would be crucial for us. Because the doctor will be able to say precisely where he was at the time when he was killed.”
He said Llewellyn’s sister told him that when she identified the body at the morgue, “understandably, she couldn’t touch him.
“But they wouldn’t turn his head … She couldn’t tell me where he was shot. But she said part of it is that she was distraught and so on and did not pay close enough attention. She said she saw some blood but you didn’t know where the blood emanated from. But that’s all I know,” Thomas told iWitness News.
In addition to Llewellyn, this year, police have shot and killed two mentally ill men whom they were trying to take into custody, as well as a man in Kingstown, who they alleged shot at them.
Llewellyn’s death brings the homicide count in SVG this year to 27. The count includes the three other people shot and killed by police.
The count does not include those people who lost their lives as a consequence of being struck by vehicles allegedly driven recklessly.
(This article was updated to correct the homicide count.)
This is why Colin John continues to let down the nation seriously Mr John
Those police and people in Saint vincent is getting out of hand.
Police cannot be killing people and get away like nothing ain’t happen. Everyone must be held accountable. Nobody is above the law.
What goes around comes around. What you do to others, for sure it will come back to you, whether you believe it or not.
The police were the ones who introduced gun in the street when they tried to put down a peaceful demonstration some years ago. No guns were on the street before that period.
Are you sure that an intimate relationship does not exist betteen the police and the alleged thief? Something in the mortar besides the pestle. Why would an alleged ghief appear out of no where in his jockey short? Some sing seems to be wong here.