Champagnie raps Azan for gun-slaying remarks
Published:Thursday | December 24, 2020 | 12:16 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Peter Champagnie, the attorney representing a soldier who shot dead an employee of Azan Supercentre last Thursday, has taken issue with statements made by the dead man’s boss, CEO Milade Azan.
Speaking with The Gleaner on Monday, Champagnie said that Azan’s statements could compromise the integrity of the investigations.
“Investigations are continuing. I understand that last week Thursday or Friday, Mr Azan gave an interview … . There is a voice clip in which he said that he heard that the employee was, essentially shot in cold blood, and he went on to give a narrative as to how the incident unfolded … . It was predicated on what he said that he heard,” Champagnie contended.
“Someone may want to ride on that narrative and present themselves as a witness who was actually not there. I would have thought that perhaps the more prudent thing to do was for Mr Azan, a respectable businessman, to encourage anyone who saw what happened to go to the police without broadcasting what it is that was said to him,” the attorney said, while acknowledging Azan’s right to freedom of expression
Azan has called for justice in the matter leading to the death of his employee, 35-year-old Courtney Minto, who was reportedly shot while on the job.
Minto, a parking attendant, succumbed to injuries on Friday, following the bizarre parking-lot shooting incident at the Cross Roads-based store.
Reports are that he had a dispute with the off-duty soldier after he directed the army man not to park in a particular spot.
On the day of the incident, The Gleaner was told by General Manager Kamaal Azan that Minto was shot twice and was rushed to the Kingston Public Hospital.
Champagnie told The Gleaner that his client was cooperating fully with the investigation but declined to reveal whether he was in police custody, stating that the Jamaica Defence Force has its own set of rules restricting the movement of its personnel.
The Gleaner sought to get a response to Champagnie’s concerns from Milade Azan. However, up to press time, our calls had not been returned.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is expected to decide whether charges should be laid against the soldier.