By Nagra Plunkett, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
DETECTIVES FROM the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) are expected in Westmoreland today to begin a probe into the fatal shooting of three alleged gunmen by the police in Barham district.
A fourth man reportedly escaped and two firearms, four rounds of ammunition and three spent shells were recovered from the dead men.
The seized weaponry include a 9-mm Ruger pistol, a double barrelled shotgun, two 9mm rounds and two 12-gauge cartridges.
WANTED FOR ROBBERY
The dead men have been identified as Craig Vascianne, 22, Evon Baker otherwise known as 'Phil', 21, both unemployed and 23-year-old taxi operator Ted Dexter Graham, all of Burnt Savannah addresses in Westmoreland.
The police said the men were figured in several armed robberies committed recently in the communities of Amity, Hartford and Petersfield in the parish.
The Gleaner understands that a small group of people converged at the Savanna-la-Mar Police Station after the incident, stating that Graham was innocent.
The grieving crowd, which consisted mainly of the taximan's relatives, left the compound after they voiced their concerns to senior officers of the Westmore-land Police Division.
BEHAVE SUSPICIOUSLY
Police reports are that about 9:45 p.m. a team was on patrol in the Barham area when they spotted four men in a white Toyota Corolla.
According to reports, the men began to 'behave suspiciously' on seeing the lawmen.
Further reports state that the driver of the Toyota was signalled to stop but the vehicle sped away. The police went in pursuit of the car, which stopped along a section of the Barham main road.
The men reportedly alighted from the vehicle and allegedly fired at the lawmen when they attempted to approach the motor car. The police returned the gunfire and three men were wounded. They were taken to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital where they were pronounced dead.
The fourth man escaped into nearby bushes.
