20 years of pain
Families still hurting two decades after patriarchs were killed in controversial police shooting
Published:Sunday | April 9, 2023 | 2:07 AMAlbert Ferguson - Sunday Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
Twenty years later, the daughters of David Bacchas and Cecil Brown are still hurting from the pain of losing their fathers who were killed in a controversial police shooting.
They revealed that the ache is even deeper, knowing that the cops who were arrested and charged for allegedly killing their family patriarchs were set free of the charges.
They have not been able to move on from the incident, they say.
On October 25, 2003, David Bacchas, a 63-year-old taxi operator at the time, was shot and killed along with his 66-year-old passenger, Cecil Brown, reportedly in a crossfire between the police and gunmen inside their Flankers, St James community while heading out to work.
The initial police report stated that the elderly men were killed in a shootout with the police and that two handguns were retrieved from Bacchas’ car. However, irate Flankers residents disputed this claim and insisted that their neighbours were killed in “cold blood”.
A fiery protest ensued, with the blocking of the major roadway leading into Montego Bay, as residents in that under-resourced community set fire to downed trees and old tyres, hurling missiles at police personnel who attempted to clear the blocked road.
The police hierarchy later altered its version of the shooting, and instead reported that about 3:30 a.m. on October 25, 2003, Bacchas and Brown were shot in the crossfire with armed men during a police operation in the community when they attempted to apprehended Christopher Hyman, who was wanted for murder.
‘STILL FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY’
Last week, Yvonne Bacchas, the first of three children for her parents, told The Sunday Gleaner that the incident that ended her father’s life still lingers, even after so many years.
“It still feels like yesterday. It is not something that is easily forgotten,” Bacchas shared. “And as I move across the community, there are persons who constantly remind you of the incident in which my father was killed, so it is not something that you can forget so easily.”
She said her father, who worked as a taxi operator, was a good man and was very well-known in the community.
“It is very hard to get over that situation. Yes, we try to move on, but it is not so easy to forget your father because he was a good father, so you can’t dash him out of the picture or forget about him just like that,” Yvonne said.
“I know the type of dad that I had, and I know the type of grandfather that he would have been to his grandchildren,” she continued.
‘IT IS NOT EASY’
Theresa Brown, the only child for her parents Lillian and Cecil Brown, shared that she and her mother, who is now very ill, have been grappling with the loneliness that has filled the place left by the controversial death of her father, Cecil.
In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner, she noted that living without the company of her father has been challenging, especially for her mother.
“It is not easy, because my father was a provider for his wife. It has been rough but we have managed to cope thus far,” said Theresa.
“It is not like he was sick and then died. They (police) killed him, we can’t get over that, it’s very painful, even today.”
She added, “Sometimes when we remember the things he used to do for us, it is very painful, knowing he is not around to do them anymore.”
NOT GUILTY
Four police officers, including a female, were arrested and charged with murder for the deaths of Bacchas and Brown, but were freed in 2006 after a 12-member jury returned a not-guilty verdict.
Still astonished over the not-guilty verdict handed down 17 years ago, Yvonne said, “I can’t come to the conclusion that they walked free. I was there in the courthouse and saw them walk free. It is not like somebody told me about it. I was there. I am still wondering why they could murder my father like that and then walk free.”
Yvonne, who has been the bedrock for her mother Geneva Bacchas and her two younger brothers over these years, revealed that their pain could be less piercing, “if the justice system here was good. It could not give me back a father, but I would feel much better knowing that justice is served if the police officers who killed my father were convicted and paid the price for their actions.”
The Bacchas family later filed a lawsuit against the State claiming wrongful death, and was awarded the sum of $4.5 million. The Government also assisted in the funeral arrangements for the two senior citizens.
Although the money helped Geneva to life a better life, she did not get over losing her husband.
“I understand that they tried to do something, but that money can’t heal our wounds. It was a drop in the bucket that just allowed my mother to live a little life, knowing that her husband was no longer there to provide and care for her,” Yvonne stated.