Shaquille Grant murder trial gets underway

May 07, 2015 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

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The murder trial of Police Constable, Terrence Wallace, has begun. The trial commenced before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Georgetown, yesterday.

Wallace is charged with the murder of 17-year-old Shaquille Grant. The victim, 17, of Lot 110 Caesar Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara was fatally shot after ranks on a mobile police patrol swooped down on a group of youths in the community on September 11, 2012.
Police in a press release on the day of the shooting had said that the ranks came under fire and they returned fire, fatally wounding Grant, of 12 BB Eccles, East Bank Demerara.  Romel Bollers, 20, of Brutus Street, Agricola, was also shot. Police said a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver was also recovered at the scene.
According to the police, they had received information that a gang in Agricola was planning a robbery on a business entity located near the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. Officers Wallace, Warren Blue and Jamal Lewis were subsequently charged for the murder of Shaquille Grant, following investigations. The latter two had reportedly evaded the course of justice.
Wallace, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence after a twelve -member mixed jury was empanelled to oversee his trial, yesterday.
In her opening address, State Prosecutor, Judith Gilharie-Mursalin told the court, that on September 11, 2012 the accused, a Tactical Services Unit TSU rank along with other ranks went into Agricola.
She noted that the policeman was sent to Kitty, but he left his post and went into Agricola without permission of his superiors.
Mursalin further detailed that Wallace, at the time, was armed with a 9 mm Glock pistol and 17 matching rounds.
She said that at Agricola, the policemen approached a group of young men in a yard, and told them to lie face down on the ground.
According to the prosecutor, the shooting ensued after one of the young men (Bollers) reached into his pockets for his cell phone.  Bollers was injured but Grant was shot dead.
Mursalin told the court that Wallace and his colleagues, (Blue and Lewis) were subsequently charged with the offence but the latter two were on the run.  Blue, she noted was killed in a botched robbery.
Grant’s grandmother, Frances Grant, and his grandfather, Gordon Grey, were the first two witnesses to take the stand.   They recalled identifying the body of their grandson at the mortuary at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC), prior to a post mortem examination.    They recalled that the body was later handed over to them for burial.
Grey also told the court that he visited the scene at Agricola, where he saw what appeared to be a lot of blood on the ground.
However, while under cross examination by Attorney –at- Law Sonia Parag, the witness was confronted with the information he provided to the Magistrate’s Court; it was noted that this bit of information was not in his deposition.
The following witness, TSU rank, Eon Isaacs, related that in September 2012 he was attached to the Police Arms room and was responsible for posting officers to their various areas of patrol.
Corporal Isaacs recalled that Wallace and his colleagues were present, and he instructed them with regard to firing orders.
Isaacs explained that part of his duty was to direct the officers in the procedure of using their firearms and under what circumstances, they should resort to the use of a gun.
He explained that a policeman is required to use his firearm in only extreme circumstances; when a suspect is resisting arrest or is armed; when the life of that officer is under threat or when there is imminent danger.   Isaacs went on to explain that an officer can also resort to the use of his weapon if he is attacked, to prevent serious injuries to his person. He disclosed, however, that officer is required to use his judgment given the scenario, at the time.
Superintendant of Police, Hugh Jessemy, recalled visiting the scene of the crime and viewing Grant’s body at the GPHC mortuary.  He told the court that the body bore a circular wound on the right side forehead, a circular wound on the left side chest and a laceration to the left thigh.
Police Sergeant, Phillip Bowman, recalled that he issued a 9mm Glock pistol with 17 matching rounds to the accused on the day of the shooting.  Bowman told the court that he was attached to the Police Arms Room and had been tasked with handing out and collecting the weapons and ammunition from officers before/after an assignment.
He recalled that he did not collect the gun and ammunition from Wallace because his shift had expired before the policeman could have turned in his weapon to the Arms room. But Corporal Donald Harry testified that when Wallace returned the pistol one round of ammunition was missing.  He recalled that the accused turned in a 9mm Glock pistol and 16 live rounds of ammunition.

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