By Yolande Gyles, Staff Reporter
Adams
A PACKED courtroom, which included Amnesty International's legal representative Ivor Frank, turned up to hear the testimony of Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams at yesterday's sitting of the Coroner's Inquest into the Braeton Seven killings.
Attendance at the inquest, which started in January, had begun to dwindle over the past two months.
Adams took the stand for the first time, giving his account of what led up to and transpired on the morning of March 14, 2001, when seven men were killed in a pre-dawn raid at Braeton, St. Catherine.
According to Mr. Adams, he attended a briefing at the Police Commissioner's office on March 13 at 5:00 p.m. in relation to an incident at the Above Rocks police station earlier that month, where a police officer and a visitor to the station were killed and a woman was shot and injured.
The following day, March 14, he and 40 other personnel from the Special Anti-Crime Task Force (SACTF) and Crime Management Unit (CMU) travelled in marked service vehicles to the Duhaney Park police station. There he conducted a briefing with the officers and they moved on to a premises at Cassava Piece.
According to SSP Adams, the party arrived at Cassava Piece at 3:45 a.m. and a few of the officers, including DSP Cornelius Walker, went into a home. Shortly after they came out with a young man, and armed with certain information, the party including their detainee went to Cumberland in Portmore.
SSP Adams said that while at an address in Cumberland, DSP Walker spoke to the occupants and a man was taken from the premises. From there they were directed to Braeton Phase 3. Mr. Adams said that once at Braeton, DSP Walker and one of the civilian men they had with them walked towards the direction of a house at 1088 Fifth Seal Way. Walker and the civilian soon returned and Adams was "told something".
'THE STAND-OFF'
As a result of what he learnt from Walker, Adams said that he gave instructions to Inspector C. McKenzie. Resulting from the instructions, Inspector McKenzie got 10 officers and they, along with the Inspector and Mr. Adams, went down to the home.
According to Adams, once at the home all the men placed themselves at strategic locations around the house, while he and Det. Cpl. McFarlane went by the windows to the right side of the house.
SSP Adams said he told the men, "I am Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams. I am here along with other police personnel to execute warrants of search and arrest on persons at this premises." However, he said that "I never got a verbal response but I heard shuffling inside the house."
He said that shortly after shots rang out from the house forcing all the officers to duck for cover. SSP Adams said that after about a minute to a minute-and-a-half, he said to the occupants, "You are all to put your guns down and come out of the house with your hands above your heads."
However, that instruction was greeted with further gunfire. Simultaneously, the police personnel responded with gunfire. This continued for about three minutes and then stopped, he said.
"As a result of the gunshots being fired from the premises that morning I became very afraid, fearful, scared and anxious, because I thought at the time that the attack on us would have resulted in me being killed or other members of the party," he said.
SSP Adams said that he sent for a floodlight and entered the house. Once inside, he saw the seven men seriously wounded and bleeding from various parts of their bodies. He was also shown four guns, three .38 revolvers and a hand-made gun.
SSP Adams said he also called for the bodies to be removed and taken to the hospital, which was done. The house was soon cordoned off with police tape.
According to SSP Adams, "At no time at the premises or in its vicinity did I discharge my weapon and I was armed with two M16s and a 45, neither did I give any instruction to police personnel to discharge theirs."
The Braeton Inquest continues tomorrow at the Spanish Town RM Court.
