Judge throws out case against teen boy, man accused of shooting at police

A Supreme Court judge was left with no choice yesterday but to throw out a case against a juvenile and his co-accused after King's Counsel Peter Champagnie argued that they were charged because the police were seeking to create a reason for shooting the minor.

Tahaeer Fletcher, 20, of a Kingston address, and a 14-year-old boy were freed of charges of illegal possession of firearm and shooting with intent.

After the Crown closed its case Champagnie and attorney-at-law Patrice Riley highlighted a number of “incredible assertions” which came from the testimonies of the police officers who were involved in the incident.

The evidence given at the trial in the Gun Court was that on January 15, 2022 three men who were travelling in a motor car were signalled by the police to stop.

They refused and engaged the police in a high-speed chase from Bull Bay to Mountain View Avenue.

It was claimed that a third man fired at the policemen.

The police witnesses said they were forced to return the fire.

Fletcher and the teen, who was shot during the incident, were found hiding in a house.

During cross-examination by Champagnie, it was revealed that the two accused were only initially charged with breaches of the Disaster Risk Management Act, legislation introduced by the Government as part of COVID-19 measures.

The teen boy was taken to hospital but was never placed under police guard.

He was discharged from hospital without any concerns being expressed by the police.

The police did not recover any firearm and the forensic crime scene investigator admitted that there was no evidence to suggest that any firing came from the car in which the men were travelling.

Champagnie suggested during cross-examination that the police involved in the incident were seeking to justify the juvenile being shot in the face arising from an internal police probe.

The accused had denied being in the company of a gunman.

They said they had taken out their grandfather's car without his knowledge and were afraid to stop when signalled by the police because neither of them had driver's licence.

- Barbara Gayle

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