Mother of man fatally shot after fleeing KPH wants answers

Sashena Lewis, the mother of the man who was fatally shot by the security forces last week after fleeing the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), where he was under mental health watch, is seeking answers from the authorities.

Lewis says the situation has left her and her family sad and distressed.

She told The Gleaner that her son was restrained by friends and brought to KPH last Tuesday.

Shortly after 5:00 a.m. the next day, she said she received a call from KPH informing her that he had escaped.

She later received another call—this time from the police—stating that he had injured a nurse with a pair of scissors before fleeing the hospital.

Lewis said she launched an urgent search before eventually learning that her son had been fatally shot.

"It is reported that Mr. Edwards was initially shot by a police officer, and he fell with bandage scissors in his hand. It is also reported that Mr Edwards ran away and was later confronted by soldiers. The soldiers, it is reported, felt threatened, as Mr Edwards was still armed with the bandage scissors, and at least one member of the team fired at him," reported the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), the body which probes criminal misconduct by the security forces.

The shooting occurred on the compound of All Saints Church on West Street in downtown Kingston.

On Monday, however, Lewis said her New Haven, Duhaney Park community has been very supportive of her, and that she must remain strong for her family.

"I just have to hold strong because I have my daughter, and I just have to keep my head strong," she said, recounting how her son started acting strangely after returning from a party.

"I just thought he needed to detox and get some rest because he was drinking hard... I never had any mad son," she said.

"I don't think he took anything; I just feel it was the liquor," said the despondent mother, alleging that the information surrounding her son's death is mostly hidden, and she is unsure what to believe.

Edwards adds to a list of seven presumed mentally ill persons fatally shot—and four non-fatally shot—by the security forces since the start of the year.

Last year, 10 persons were fatally shot, while there were 11 non-fatal encounters involving mentally ill individuals.

"The security forces must assess their own training and reflect on the instructions given in such confrontations, with regard to the necessity and proportionality of their use of deadly force in such encounters," said INDECOM, noting that:"International best practice promotes a tactic of de-escalation, utilising distance, cover, and time—which also protects the security forces."

- Corey Robinson

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