Gunmen were aided by civilians - Inspector

DETECTIVE INSPECTOR Asmond Wright of the Crime Management Unit testified before the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry yesterday that he saw a police bodyguard of Opposition Leader Edward Seaga push a man out of the way, after the man revealed a pistol in his waist and shouted to the police, "Whey di bwoy (Senior Supt.) Adams deh?"

Also, he said he saw a man, about in his 20s, approach the perimeter wall of Tivoli Court and fire several shots at the police from a sub-machine gun. The police fired back and the man fell backwards. He said he saw "about 25 women" appear and draw the man back into the complex. The gun was retrieved by the police, he said.

He said that minutes later, he saw three men appear from Tivoli Court, two armed with AK 47 rifles and one with two Molotov cocktails. They went to a police vehicle. The man with the bombs threw them at a marked police truck, after which they burst into flames.

Det. Insp. Wright credited Councillor Desmond Mckenzie (Tivoli Gardens) with being a buffer between the police and a large crowd of angry people, a few of whom were throwing stones and bottles at the police, on Spanish Town Road near the Coronation Market.

He said that Councillor McKenzie directed the people to go to Bond Street, where they would be addressed by Mr. Seaga. However, he said that after Mr. Seaga and Councillor McKenzie left the area, men, women and children started to block Spanish Town Road near to the Coronation Market with stalls, carts, rubbish drums and other items.

He saw men running to and from either side of Spanish Town Road, with "what appeared to be rifles" and positioning themselves at several intersections.

"I cannot say whether or not they were part of the crowd which went with Mr. Seaga. These men just appeared. They ran to the north, ran to the south and were constantly moving to and fro," he said.

He said this was followed by a volley of gunshots. The police fired back, but he did not fire. He did not know if any one was hit by the police bullets. The firing continued for about 20 minutes.

While the firing was going on, about 9:15 a.m., he instinctively looked across the road and saw a "dreadlocked Rasta-looking" man look over the roof of a two-storey building and throw something at them.

"Immediately, there was an enormous explosion," he said. He saw a red pick-up and his Suzuki Swift, both of which were parked in front of them, rock violently.

"Then I couldn't see anything else. There was this thick white smoke, which covered all of us". After the smoke cleared, he noticed that the windshield of the Suzuki was shattered. Gas was leaking from a police Pajero and running toward the policemen on the ground.

The witness suggested that the explosion could have been caused by dynamite.

He said there was a possibility that the gas leaking from the Pajero could cause another explosion. He said that SSP Adams said it was no longer safe to stay in the area and ordered them out.

Det. Insp. Wright said he drove SSP Adams's Pajero motor vehicle to Area Four headquarters, West Street. He waited until SSP Adams returned about 6 p.m. and he left the area. He has not returned since. He said he is still being counselled by the Jamaica Constabulary Force's chaplain.

Sgt. Pearson spoke about an operation at the May Pen Cemetery on July 7 by a police team from Mobile Reserves led by Deputy Supt. Maurice Robinson. He said the operation was against gunmen allegedly firing on the Denham Town police station.

He said the team went to the new Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road and crawled on their "bellies" into the cemetery. They saw men armed with "what seemed to be AK 47 rifles," firing from the intersection of Spanish Town Road and Industrial Terrace.

"I saw one of the tombstones immediately in front of me appear as if smoke was coming from it. I took cover behind (it) and saw pieces of marble being chipped and dust reeked in front of me," the sergeant said.

"Thought it was a duppy?!" Chairman Isaac joked.

"Or a gunman," suggested Janet Nosworthy, attorney for the Commission who was examining the witness.

There was more fun when the sergeant tried to explain the difference in sounds between the shooting of the AK47s, he said the men were shooting, and the M 16s, he said he and other policemen were firing.

The sergeant said that the M 16 gave a "pop pop" sound, while the AK47 sounded like a handclap.

"So there is a marked difference in sound," Chairman Isaac remarked. The sergeant said yes.

Asked by Chairman Isaac, how he knew the physical difference between the two weapons, he said that the butt and magazine of the AK47 were different from the M 16, but he had difficulty explaining the difference to the Commission.

During cross-examination by Mr. Witter, the sergeant said that the team he travelled with drove through Arnett Gardens down to Spanish Town Road about 8:30 a.m. virtually unimpeded.

He said that when the gunmen started to retreat, under fire from the police, DSP Robinson ordered them to make a flank to cut off the gunmen. But, by the time they reached the middle of the cemetery, they were ordered by the DSP to withdraw and head, instead, for the Golden Age Home in Denham Town.

He said that close to the Golden Age Home, the team again came under fire. This time from a group of about six to eight gunmen who hid behind a "human shield" of women and children. However, he said that despite the intense shooting, which lasted about 11/2 hours, he did not see anybody shot on either side.

Sgt. Pearson said there are about 1,000 men in the Mobile Reserves, based at Up-Park Camp. He said they were trained to use high-powered rifles and batons to control demonstrations, strikes and other forms of civil unrest.

He said it is set up so that at any given moment, 100 policemen can be assembled for missions. Unlike a station, it has no boundaries or police area.

"We are called upon to go wherever happenings like these are taking place," he said.

Chairman Isaac: I am curious, when there is no unrest, what do you fellows do?

Sgt. Pearson: I don't think we can wait until there is an unrest to form a unit like this. When it comes it comes, it flows. Sometimes two three days out there. When it comes, it comes.

Chairman Isaac: I can understand that, but when it doesn't come, that's what I want to find out?

Sergeant Pearson said they stayed on alert.

Back to News