The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE officer who led the investigation into the 2019 Blair Estates police-involved killing of three men denied yesterday that his investigation was deficient after lawyers noted that his report was only two paragraphs long.

Tony Jamal “Foolish” Penn Smith, Valentino “T-Boy” Pratt and Trevor “Coopz” Cooper were killed on Commonwealth Avenue in the early morning of May 17, 2019, one of the deadliest single cases of a police-involved shooting. 

Assistant Superintendent of Police Durie Smith told the jury that he became involved in the matter on May 22, 2019, when he spoke with the 15 officers who are the subjects of the inquest, three of whom are Defence Force officers.

ASP Smith said when he questioned the officers, his main concern was their mental state.

He said his attempts to gain entry to the scene of the shooting and to speak with civilian witnesses were unsuccessful. He said the witnesses were unwilling to cooperate.

Romona Farquharson-Seymour, an attorney representing the dead men’s estates, highlighted the short length of the investigator’s report and said it lacked specifics and contemporaneous notes of what the officers said when he questioned them.

 She said there was also no mention of the officers’ position when they entered the mansion or when they opened fire on the men.

 ASP Smith responded that the officers wrote their reports of the incident in isolation. He could not say if he had those reports when he questioned the officers individually.

 Mrs Farquharson-Seymour suggested that a notation of what the officers said to investigators should have been in his report or that of another investigator, but he did not accept this.

 He agreed that his report did not list the officers involved but disagreed that his investigation was deficient.

 He said officials in the forensic laboratory compared the firearms of the officers to exhibits from the scene, but he never saw their report. He also could not say who collected the guns from the officers. 

 He said his notes did not address whether two phones were recovered from the mansion’s garage. He could not say who owned the phones or if the last messages on the phones were analysed. 

 ASP Smith admitted to Mrs Farquharson Seymour that no swabs were taken from the handprints of the deceased, even though all three were found near firearms.

 He said in the five days it took for him to get involved in the matter, possible evidence from the hands of the deceased would have gotten contaminated when they were moved from the scene. Nonetheless, he agreed that swabbing their hands would have been important.

 Under questioning, Detective Sergeant Desmond Rolle said he gave his investigation file to ASP Smith, his superior officer.

 Ciji Smith-Curry, another lawyer representing the estates of the dead men, told him that neither he nor ASP Smith took responsibility for being the lead investigator.

 Ryzard Humes, the last lawyer representing the estates of the men, asked Sgt Rolle whether he saw a video of the incident. The officer said he may have, but not during his role as investigator.

 Acting Coroner Kara Turnquest-Deveaux is presiding over the inquest. Angelo Whitfield is marshalling the evidence. K Melvin Munroe represents the 15 officers.