The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE family of a man police killed in 2018 is concerned over the length of time police are taking to announce or act on recommendations from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions concerning the officers who killed him.

A Coroner’s Court jury ruled last year that Deangelo Evans’ police-involved killing in 2018 was a homicide by manslaughter.

In April, the DPP’s office sent recommendations on whether to charge the officers in the case –– Corporal Wright and Inspector Wilson –– with a crime.

However, the commissioner has yet to reveal the recommendation and has consistently told reporters to “stand by”.

Yesterday, he told The Tribune: “I’m presently off the island attending a conference for the week. Please stand by.” 

Evans’ mother, Beverley Rolle, said the family is tired of waiting.

On the 27 of this month, my child will be dead for six years,” she said.

“Everybody is upset about it right now. My child get murdered but just the other day, there was a situation with the two officers. They quickly charged them.”

“They ain’t do nothing with the officers in my child’s case, but some officers involved with this money mix up, they deal with that situation, so murder just does go down in the drain just like that or something? Once your child life get taken away, that’s it then?”

The mother said she raised her concern to police officials over the matter last month when they conducted a walkabout in the community. 

However, she said officials told her “it wasn’t the place and time for it”.

“He said he would get back to me, and we would have a meeting or something because they was doing a walkabout, but that was the end of that,” she said. “They ain’t call me back since then or nothing.” 

 She called the police’s silence on the findings a “slap in the face” to the family.

 Evans was killed on Sandy Lane in Mason’s Addition on May 27, 2018.

 Officers were responding to an alleged armed robbery suspect. While the officers maintained that Evans was armed, several eyewitnesses said he was not.

 Coroner’s Court inquests do not determine criminal liability. By convention, the police always follow the recommendation of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. In addition to Evans, the DPP’s office also sent recommendations concerning the killings of Shanton Forbes and Dino Bain.

 Three officers shot Forbes on March 25, 2018, in Yellow Elder. The man later died at the Princess Margaret Hospital.