Andrew Wildes, Gleaner WriterLife for Noel Reid can never be the same again. As he lays in the Spanish Town hospital under police guard, a gunshot wound has left him paralysed, and there are looming protests over the circumstances of his injury and arrest.
Citizens in Princess Field district, in Linstead, St. Catherine, are describing the alleged shooting of Reid by a police officer on Thursday as extra-judicial. It is alleged that, with his hands raised, Reid was shot in his back by a police officer from the Bog Walk Police Station, and countering the police's statement, citizens say there was no shoot-out.
"A one shot buss! down to the little five-year-old baby can tell you seh a one shot buss!" argued one emphatic resident known only as Maxine.
Information from Bog Walk Police Station through the Constabulary Communication Network is that "the members of a police patrol saw a group of four men at a premises acting in a suspicious manner. On the approach of the jeep of police, the men opened fire at them, and they returned the fire. The men ran, and Reid was later found suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital where he was placed under police guard."
POLICE VERSION REJECTED
"A lie! It is a lie, so many
people caan tell lie! I wish to God yuh coulda speak to the victim," Maxine exclaimed, rejecting the police's version of the incident.
Though the details of the case are yet to be fully determined, the case has recived much attention. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for the St. Catherine East Central division, K.D. Knight has also requested that the Police High Command further probe the incident.
In like manner, councillor for the area Dr. Raymond Notice, is calling for justice to be served.
"If the story I'm hearing is true, it is a perfect example of a travesty of justice. If the policeman turns out to be wrong he needs to be treated like any other criminal," the councillor remarked.
"Bog Walk at this time doesn't need this, and we need to rid the force of rouge cops like these and help to build the community relationship that exist normally. Many other reports have been made of more or less similar incidents of this said policeman and we need to rid our community of this type of inhuman behaviour," said Councillor Notice.
