By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
THREE police officers charged with manslaughter in the 2021 death of 31-year-old Azario Major were notified on Wednesday that their trial will begin in June 2026.
This come more than a year and a half after a Coroner’s Court jury returned a finding of homicide by manslaughter in Major’s case.
The officers — Sergeant 2825 Antonio Sweeting, Sergeant 3039 Jamal Johnson, and Sergeant 3726 Deangelo Rolle — are accused of fatally shooting Major in his car outside a bar on Fire Trail Road on December 26, 2021.
Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns informed the trio that the trial is set to start on June 1, 2026. If it cannot proceed as scheduled, an alternate trial date has been set for March 8, 2027. Case management is scheduled for September 17, 2025. Attorney Keevon Maynard represents the accused officers.
Meanwhile, Constable Dennis Sturrup, who was charged with manslaughter for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Gino Finley Jr during an alleged armed robbery at Seagrapes Plaza in 2017, is expected to go to trial in May before Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson.
Last month, the Coroner’s Court informed the families of Valentino Johnson and Shanton Forbes that decisions regarding advancing their cases to the Supreme Court would be announced later.
The Coroner’s Court also confirmed that the cases of five other officers — previously pending review — are now closed and will not proceed to trial.
These include the deaths of Harold Brown and Richard Brown, Deangelo Evans, Elroy Stubbs, and Ernest Forest.
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