Investigations are still underway to determine what led to the shooting of three civilians in Castries by an officer attached to the Bordelais Correctional Facility late Monday morning. The incident occurred outside the First District Court just after 11am in full view of several persons who were in the area at the time.
Although police reports indicate that officer Shervin Smith discharged a round at Kharli Alexander who allegedly attacked him with a metal object, eyewitnesses told a different story when the STAR visited the scene on Monday.
“I saw an officer and a mad man in a little argument,” a man who frequents the area regularly told the STAR.
“I know Kharli, he’s from Vieux Fort. I don’t know what the argument was about, I can’t tell you because I was a distance away. I saw the mad man [Kharli] make a round by the car. The officer crept up on him with a shotgun.
“I mean real creep up; he crouched down like he was creeping to shoot someone. Then he just shot the man and I saw him fall. I was a distance away so I can’t determine whether they shot him in his belly or chest.”
If that wasn’t enough for one morning the madness continued and the same bullet exited through the first man’s back according to the eyewitness and struck another man in the arm. Even with two people shot the drama wasn’t over yet.
“When I looked again I saw the second man with blood on his arm—then a lawyer ran outside the courthouse and said someone inside the courthouse also got shot—someone who was going to court. While I was watching the scene the ambulance came and transported the two men who’d gotten shot to hospital.”
The bystander has been identified as Roger Henry of Millet and Nadia Joseph of Mongouge was the third shooting victim who’d been inside the courtroom at the time.
“Three people got shot, one bullet,” the eyewitness continued. “Everyone’s reaction was pappyshow the police doing.
“People started screaming, running, ducking, pigeons fly away and all if you feel it’s a joke that went on there. The JP was there and he almost got shot. The first man who was shot fell down right in front of the courthouse.”
The eyewitness says the officer in question remained on the scene to the point that several police officers surrounded him. Moments later he was escorted away from the area.
“I don’t know what they told him I just saw five police officers go with him,” the man continued. “I don’t know if it was for questioning or what. The ambulance went with the two men then came back after a while and that’s when I confirmed that a third person had been shot inside the courthouse.”
“That eh right,” the clearly infuriated eyewitness went on. “There’s a better strategy and better ways to apprehend a person. The man wasn’t running; he’s harmless. The man had no weapon and that’s by the courthouse—there are so many officers there with guns! That was totally unnecessary, now look at the outcome.
“What if the shot went into the courtroom and took the judge? Only then would some serious action be taken against officers. Right now the shot went inside there and a malaway got shot, nothing for that. That finishing just now.”
According to police reports officers attached to the CID are currently investigating the incident. Karli Alexander sustained a gunshot wound to the chest area and remains at Victoria Hospital in a stable condition.
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