Cops freed of murder

A member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and his ex-colleague who were both accused of the fatal shooting of a teenager during a police operation in Kingston nine years ago were on Monday freed of murder when they appeared in the Gun Court.

Joel Waite and ex-policeman Germaine Parchment, who were charged with the alleged murder of 17-year-old Chadwick Clarke, had criminal proceedings against then discontinued after the Crown indicated that it was unable to locate witnesses.

According to the allegations, on June 28, 2011, the teenager was shot and killed by both men on Rodney Road in Kingston 13.

The policemen, however, had reported that the teenager was killed during a shoot-out and that a Beretta semi-automatic pistol was recovered from him.

Parchment, who resigned from the force six years ago and migrated to the United States of America, was arrested and charged in June 2019 after returning to the island.

Attorney-at-law Peter Champagnie, QC, represented Parchment, while Waite was represented by attorney-at-law John Jacobs.