The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE families of two men killed in a fatal 2017 police chase on Tonique William Darling Highway were asked to leave the courtroom yesterday as close-ups of one of the men’s blood-stained corpse lying on the sidewalk was shown after the inquest into the matter began.

The actions of seven police officers are under scrutiny in the Coroner’s Court inquiry, which will examine whether the officers were justified in killing the men.

Richard “Buddy” Bastian and Harold Brown were killed on Tonique William Darling Highway around 1am on December 2, 2017.

While one of the men was pronounced dead at the scene after both were thrown from their vehicle, the other died in hospital. 

 Acting Coroner Kara Turnquest-Deveaux and jurors heard testimony yesterday from ASP Gardell Rolle, who read the report of Inspector Adderley, who photographed the scene and the body of one of the men. 

 He said Inspector Armbrister observed 17 fired 9mm bullet casings scattered across the street and sidewalk along with a fired 9mm bullet. 

 He described how the inspector saw the body of one of the deceased lying face-up on the sidewalk. Photos of the corpse showed that his shirt was pulled above his chest. His underwear was visible, and his jeans were below his ankles. It was said that there were suspected gunshot wounds to the deceased’s lower torso as well as to his upper back.

 A short distance from the body, ASP Rolle said Inspector Adderley saw a grey Honda Civic that crashed into the fence near Oil Max. Photos of the crash showed that the rear of the vehicle was also extensively damaged and that the rear windshield was completely shattered. 

 ASP Rolle said that police recovered a Mossberg shotgun from the centre of the vehicle along with five unfired shotgun shells and one fired shotgun shell. A shotgun license in the name of one of the deceased was also pulled from the vehicle. No other firearm was recovered from the wrecked car.

 When D/SGT Paul Adderley, one of the initial officers at the scene, was questioned by David Cash, an attorney for the estates, the officer could not say if either deceased was tested for gunshot residue on their hands.

 D/SGT Adderley also told the court that a blue glove photographed near the body was left there by EMS after they attempted to resuscitate the deceased. He agreed with K Melvin Munroe, the attorney for the officers, that EMS could have placed the deceased’s clothes in that position when attending to him.

 ASP Durie Smith, the lead investigator, testified that on the night of the shooting, police were responding to calls of gunfire outside Pressure Point Bar on Washington Street.

 He recounted that a large crowd was gathered outside the bar after multiple shots were reportedly fired, causing the crowd to flee to the front of the premises. 

 He said the two deceased allegedly fled the scene in a silver-coloured vehicle before they were engaged by police in a shootout just before they crashed.

 Despite efforts to interview witnesses at the bar in the aftermath of the crash, ASP Smith said he could not get any, as none wanted to be involved.

 However, he said that a barmaid gave a statement about what led to the police chase. He also said that surveillance footage was pulled from both Pressure Point and King’s Bars. 

 ASP Smith told Mr Cash that there were no shotgun shells recovered from the scene of the bar shooting and that only firearm casings were found. He confirmed to the attorney that there were no injuries reported at the bar and that only property was damaged. 

 He also said that the shotgun found in the deceased’s vehicle was registered to Harold Brown. He said he did not observe a police vehicle with shotgun damage during his investigation. 

 D/SGT Patrice Rolle of the firearm licensing office confirmed that Harold Brown was issued a shotgun in October 2017, which was listed for hunting purposes.

I nspector Brandon Hanna of the police armoury said all of the officers in the inquest were qualified to fire 9mm weapons. 

 He said officers are trained to fire their weapons if they believe their lives or others are in danger. He also said someone must aim their weapon at an officer to be deemed a threat. 

 Inspector Hanna agreed with Mr Munroe that the officers had to use their discretion to fire on a suspect and that officers are trained to hit a suspect’s centre mass.

 He also affirmed to Mr Cash that officers use buckshot shotgun rounds, not birdshot cartridges.

 When shown photos of the ammunition pulled from the car, Inspector Hanna identified some of the shotgun shells as birdshot cartridges.

 During questioning on whether police would fire on an unarmed suspect after a car crash, the officer said there is no need for officers to draw weapons on an unarmed suspect.

 “If they do not have a firearm, there is no need to shoot,” he said.

 Angelo Whitfield marshalled the evidence.