The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter ljohnson@tribunemedia.net AN OFFICER of the police force's forensics unit testified about the discharged bullets and cartridges used in the February 2006 killing of businessman Keith Carey outside a local bank. Detective Sgt Earl Thompson told a Supreme Court jury yesterday that on February 27, 2006, he was given the samples that came from a .9mm calibre gun reportedly used by Jamal Glinton. Prosecutors claim Glinton was the gunman who shot Carey as he attempted to deposit $40,000 for the Esso Service Station which he operated. The accused, alias "Bumper", was unanimously found guilty of the murder and armed robbery of Carey on April 9, 2009. He had been charged with Dwight Knowles and Sean Brown, who were unanimously convicted and sentenced for robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. However, Glinton's conviction was squashed in the Court of Appeal after the higher court ruled that Senior Justice Jon Isaacs was wrong in law to remove the charges of murder and armed robbery against the two co-accused from the jury at the close of the case for the defence. Senior Justice Isaacs at the time had directed the jury not to consider the charge of murder against Knowles and Brown. That direction was one of 17 grounds of appeal filed by Glinton's attorney Craig Butler. The appellate court ruled in Glinton's favour though they ordered a retrial and remanded him to Her Majesty's Prison. He, however, received bail in the Supreme Court. In yesteday's proceeding, officer Thompson explained to prosecutor Darnell Dorsette that his training and experience in weapon/ammunition forensics allowed him to identify the likely firearm used in a crime with the ammunition itself. He told the jury that he received from a fellow officer two bullets and four cartridges that were found at the scene of the shooting. Sgt Thompson said from his examining of the samples, he could tell that one of the bullets was not fired, along with two of the four cartridges. His study of the samples also linked the discharged ammunition to two likely firearm production companies abroad. In cross-examination by defence attorney Craig Butler, the officer said no testing was done to find identifying marks or body fluids. He admitted that he was unable to tell the court anything other than the kind of gun the samples were fired from. In re-examining, Ms Dorsette asked the officer if his job or qualifications included looking for body fluids. He said no. The trial resumes today at 10am before Justice Roy Jones.