The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

CORONER’S Court jurors have ruled a justifiable homicide in the case of an officer who shot and killed 21-year-old Aliko Collins in Pinewood Gardens in 2017.

Now-retired Superintendent Basil Collie, the subject of the inquest, reportedly shot and killed Collins after he and two accomplices confronted the officer during a walk on Bamboo Boulevard in the early hours of February 8, 2017. The officer claims that Collins was armed at the time.

Mr Collie gratefully embraced his lawyer, K Melvin Munroe, and family members present in court, after the five-person all female jury returned its finding.

 No relatives of the deceased appeared in court throughout the course of proceedings.

This is the second inquest into this shooting. The first jury was dismissed before reaching a verdict due to what the coroner deemed inappropriate behaviour during the officer’s testimony in May.

This is the seventh case this year that has returned a 'justifiable homicide' verdict. The other four inquests this year returned adverse findings of homicide by manslaughter against officers.

The previous inquest into the police involved shooting of Valentino Johnson on February 16, 2023 resulted in a finding of homicide by manslaughter in July.

Inquests do not determine criminal liability; however, the Director of Public Prosecutions determines if charges are to be made in cases with adverse findings against police.

During Mr Munroe’s closing remarks prior to the finding, he told the jury that Mr Collie acted in self-defense based on his training when faced with an armed threat.

Mr Munroe said that one of the deceased’s accomplices admitted that Collins' intended to rob the officer. The attorney further said that the trio were on a crime spree that night and said the two remaining suspects are set to stand trial for attempted armed robbery and attempted abduction this week.

Before the finding was revealed, a woman gave tearful testimony that Collins along with his two accomplices attempted to abduct her on Cowpen Road by trying to pull her into their car window. She cried as she said she thought she was going to be raped that night and was terrified before she managed to escape her assailants. 

This incident reportedly occurred an hour before the fatal shooting at 3.30am.

Pathologist Dr Caryn Sands ruled that Collins’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The report was read into evidence by marshal Angelo Whitfield.

There was no mention of a weapon belonging to the deceased being collected from the scene during any officer testimony. 

In the aftermath of the inquest on the courthouse steps, Mr Munroe said that his client was relieved to no longer have this case hanging over his head.

Acting Coroner Kara Turnquest Deveaux presided over the case.