Family cries foul as cop fatally shoots mentally ill man
RELATIVES OF a 30-year-old mentally challenged man who was fatally shot by a police officer outside his gate in Amity district, Westmoreland, on Tuesday, are claiming that he was killed in cold blood.
According to police reports, shortly after 9 a.m., a team of officers had gone to Pipers Corner in Amity in search of Dain Wedderburn, who was wanted for questioning in connection with a rape investigation.
On reaching the location, they were reportedly approached by a naked Wedderburn and, during a tussle with one of the officers, he was shot.
He was transported to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital where he died while been treated.
Wedderburn’s family have challenged that report.
His 69-year-old grandmother, Jennifer Porter, told The Gleaner that she witnessed when one of the policemen calmly walked over to Wedderburn and shot him in the head.
“The police dem come in a van and ask mi fi mi grandson, and mi tell dem seh him is not here now, and him seh if him see him, him going to shoot him,” the woman said.
She alleged that her grandson soon emerged from the back of the house to enquire why they had threatened to kill him.
“I went out behind him and the police come out a di van, walk up to him an give him one shot,” Porter claimed. “Mi seh, ‘Officer, you have no right fi shoot him because him full naked and him don’t have a weapon’.”
The elderly woman said one of the officers later returned to retrieve the spent shell.
“My grandson mentally ill ... since over three years now, an mi nuh know of him a rape nobody, an it surprise mi fi know seh police hear bout rape an dem don’t contact any a him family dem,” she said, calling for a thorough probe into the incident.
Another relative, Samantha McIntosh, stressed that the family is demanding justice, recounting the series of events Porter reportedly relayed to her.
Porter has given statements to the police and the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).
“As part of the legitimate process as an investigative unit, INDECOM has collected statements from witnesses and is now awaiting a ballistic report from the weapon used in the incident and a postmortem report,” said INDECOM Director of Complaints Errol Chattoo.
A senior officer attached to the Westmoreland Police Division told The Gleaner that the police could not comment on the matter as it was being probed by INDECOM.