Man who was shot by cop freed of gun charges

A man who was shot in his buttock and thigh by a police constable last August and then hit with gun charges, after being accused of pointing a weapon at the lawman, was on Wednesday acquitted in the Gun Court.

The defendant, Ricardo Officer, was accused of being one of two men who jumped the policeman's gate and went into his yard in Eltham Acres, St Catherine, on August 12, 2021, about 11:30 p.m.

Officer was freed after the judge ruled that she was in doubt about what really transpired on the day in question, based on inconsistencies in the policeman's testimony.

The judge also found that the defendant's injuries were not consistent with someone who was facing a shooter in a forward position.

The defendant who was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and assault had been in custody since his arrest.

The constable, in his statement, alleged that he saw both men from his window and that when he shouted to the men and identified himself as a policeman, Officer pointed his weapon at him.

The lawman said he immediately pulled his licensed firearm and ordered him to drop the weapon, but he did not comply.

The constable alleged that out of fear for his life and his family members he fired about six shots at the men and they turned and jumped back over the gate, exiting his yard.

He said he called for assistance and Officer was held.

The defendant, however, had maintained his innocence.

During an unsworn statement from the dock he told the court that he was running from robbers when he was shot.

Officer testified that he was walking along Brunswick Avenue in Spanish Town after leaving a party when men held him up and robbed him of monies and other items.

Officer said he managed to escape and was running through a housing scheme when he was shot.

Officer later collapsed on the street and was picked up by police and taken to the Spanish Town Hospital for treatment, before he was arrested and charged.

In the meantime, attorney-at-law Shamar Hanson said his client is happy that he has been exonerated but is contemplating suing the State.

“My client is very pleased and relieved with the verdict. He has suffered a great deal being in custody in addition to being shot in circumstances where he never had a firearm.

"I gather INDECOM is investigating the matter and that should take its course. As for my client, he will be considering all options available to him and will move forward from there” he said.

- Tanesha Mundle

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