Amnesty Int'l welcomes murder charge against cops in St Andrew shooting

Amnesty International has welcomed the laying of charges against six policemen over the murders of three men more than six years ago.

Sergeant Simroy Mott, Corporal Donovan Fullerton, Constables Andrew Smith, Sheldon Richards, Orandy Rose, and Richard Lynch were charged Wednesday for the shooting deaths of Matthew Lee, Mark Allen and Ucliffe Dyer along Arcadia Drive, St Andrew on January 12, 2013 under questionable circumstances.

The policemen had indicated that they acted in self-defence.

Corporal Fullerton was further charged with making a false statement to the Independent Commission of Investigations.

He is being accused of misleading the Commission about his use of lethal force during the incident.

They were each granted $600,000 bail with sureties when they appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

The matter was set for mention on September 30.

“We welcome the Independent Commission of Investigations’ continuous and determined efforts in investigating the killing of Matthew Lee. It is now in the hands of the Jamaican justice system to act effectively in the light of this case.

“The victim’s family’s dignified pursuit of justice is an example of how to dismantle a culture of fear that has allowed the police to get away with unlawful killings for decades,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.

Matthew’s sister, Simone Grant, said: “It's a small drop in the bucket for the family, as Matthew will never come back to us, but it's a giant leap for the cause and we can only hope this will cause the police to think twice and be more responsible when carrying out their duties.”

The international human rights lobby group argued that for decades, Jamaican communities, especially those in disenfranchised inner-city neighbourhoods, have been scarred by an epidemic of unlawful killings by police.

Amnesty International says it has documented how the failure of the Jamaican state to bring those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice have a profound and lasting impact on their loved ones.

“Their relatives, and in particular their women relatives, are left to face a long struggle for justice, as well as frequent intimidation and harassment by the police.”

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