RETIRED ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police and government ballistics expert, Daniel Wray, continued where he left off on Monday, answering more questions posed to him by the attorney representing the police at yesterday's sitting of the Braeton enquiry.
The questions he answered included the relative positions of the youths when they were shot and the calibre guns that made bullet holes in the walls of the house at 1088 Fifth Seal Way.
Concerning the position of the young men when they were shot, Mr. Wray said that it was possible that in the close confines of the house any or all of the youths could have been crouching low, especially if somebody who was also stooping low was firing at them. Consequently, the most exposed part of the young men's bodies would be their heads.
Throughout other testimony given by other witnesses, including government pathologist Ere Seshaiah, six of the seven deceased were shot in the head.
Mr. Wray also said that it was obvious that person or persons were shot in the second bedroom at the rear of the premises.
Regarding the identities of the shooters, Mr. Wray said that because the house was dark, it was possible that the youths shot each other. According to the ballistics expert, "if someone in the dark is firing at you, the only way you can see them is from the flash of the muzzle fire and that is only for a couple of seconds."
He also said that it was not possible to differentiate between the wounds caused by a 9mm semi-automatic weapon or a .38 special revolver. Mr. Wray further stated that he could not say whether any or all of the injuries were made by any of the .38 revolvers recovered from the home.
The police claimed that on the morning of the incident, March 14, 2001, they took from the house two .38 Smith and Wesson firearms, a .38 Ruger and a home-made shotgun.
Mr. Wray said that any gunfight which took place inside the home would fall under the category of close combat virtually at point blank range.
The Braeton Inquest is attempting to ascertain under what circumstances and who is responsible for the deaths of seven young men in Braeton last year March. The seven, Andre Virgo, 20; Curtis Smith, 20; Tamayo Wilson, 20; Lancebert Clarke, 19; Dane Whyte, 19; Christopher Grant, 17; and Regan Beckford, 15, were killed by the police in a pre-dawn operation.
The police went to the Fifth Seal Way home in search of persons whom they believed were involved in a March 1, 2001 double murder at the Above Rocks Police Station. During that incident, it is alleged that Grant shot and killed Constable Dwight Gibson and retired customs officer Dennis Betton and wounded another person. Constable Gibson's service revolver, a .38 Smith and Wesson with serial number 2D64395 was also stolen.
According to the police when they went to the home to arrest Grant, they were met with gunfire, which they returned and the seven youths were killed. The operation ended at about 5:30 a.m.
However a number of residents have disputed the police claims of a shoot-out and allege that the youths were heard begging for their lives and that they were murdered.
The inquest will continue today at the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's court.
