The Tribune

THE jury in a trial where three men are accused of murdering a police constable heard evidence from an officer who allegedly chased one of the defendants.

Inspector Calvin Robinson testified yesterday that on the early morning of March 29, 1999, he heard what sounded like gunshots in the area of a Club Rock while on patrol in the general area.

After passing Virginia Street, the officer said he saw a man with a gun in hand.

The witness said he got out of the car, and he and a colleague pursued the man – whom he identified in court as Clint Evans – through Virginia Street.

Evans, Stephen Stubbs and Andrew Davis each face a charge of murder and attempted murder in connection with the March 29, 1999 shooting death of Constable Jimmy Ambrose.

Evans is separately charged with two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to put another in fear.

It is claimed that the three accused, on the day in question, murdered Constable Jimmy Ambrose and attempted to kill Constable Marcian Scott.

It is also alleged that Evans possessed a firearm with intent to put Constables Frank Burrows and Calvin Robinson in fear for their lives.

All three men denied the charges and pleaded not guilty when formally arraigned at the opening of the trial.

Yesterday, Robinson said Evans pointed a gun at him whilst running before stashing the gun in sand near a construction site.

The officer said he caught Evans while his colleague, Sgt Frank Burrows, looked for the weapon, which was eventually found by officer Knowles, another responding policeman.

The inspector said he booked Evans in at the Central Police Station before putting his initials on the firearm at the Firearms Unit in Oaksfield.

During cross-examination, Evans’ attorney, Romona Farquharson-Seymour asked the officer if other persons, aside from Evans, were running from Club Rock.

The inspector said he could not speak to that.

The attorney asked the officer if he ever saw Evans attempt to conceal the gun in his waist. Robinson said he never saw this.

Robinson admitted that Evans never fired any shots at him or shot at police in his presence.

When asked how many shots he fired, Robinson said “One or two”. The attorney asked the officer why he fired at someone who did not fire at him.

Robinson said the gun was being pointed at him and he responded with fire “because I was in fear of my life.”

He did admit, when asked, that he did not take any evasive action when the gun was being pointed at him.

Mrs Farquharson-Seymour suggested to Robinson that all of his evidence was fabricated and that he was lying to the court. The inspector disagreed.

The trial resumes today before Justice Roy Jones.