Witness confirms confiscation of 11 guns from 6 cops in deadly Acadia shooting

A retired detective sergeant testified yesterday that he had seized 11 firearms from six policemen involved in the 2013 fatal shooting of three men on Acadia Drive in Kingston.

The witness also testified that he submitted those weapons to the forensic laboratory for ballistic testing, along with two weapons and ammunition that were recovered at the scene.

However, the court also heard that, shortly after, he collected the guns that were being used by the policemen and returned them to the station, but he was unsure whether the weapons were put back into operational use.

Testifying in the Home Circuit Court on Friday, the former sub-officer in charge of crime at the Constant Spring Police Station said that, shortly after noon, six policemen came to him and reported that their team had been involved in a shooting along Acadia Drive.

The policemen, Sergeant Simroy Mott, Corporal Donovan Fullerton, and constables Andrew Smith, Sheldon Richards, Orandy Rose and Richard Lynch, are on trial for the murders of Matthew Lee, Mark Allen and Ucliffe Dyer.

The retired officer said the men told him their team had been involved in a shootout with four men travelling in a blue Mitsubishi. He was informed that the occupants opened fire, the police returned fire, three of the men were shot and injured, and one escaped. The policemen did not indicate who specifically had discharged their weapons, reporting only that the “police team” was involved in the shootout.

He told the court that, sometime after the incident, another officer visited the station and handed him four sealed envelopes labelled A, B, C and D, containing ammunition and two firearms reportedly recovered at the scene.

The witness further testified that he collected firearms from each of the six policemen, labelled them from E to O, recorded their serial numbers, and marked them as “used by the police” on a forensic form. He said all the firearms were submitted to the forensic laboratory on January 15. Five officers had M16 rifles and Glock pistols, while one had a Browning pistol.

The court also heard that the officer returned the firearms on January 18, handing them to the station guard.

When asked by prosecutor Kathy Ann Pyke why they were returned so quickly, he said, “Because the police would need them to use.”

Asked whether the firearms were still available for examination, he replied, “I handed them over to the station, so I don’t know what happened to them.”

Under cross-examination by defence attorney Hugh Wildman, the retired officer agreed that police confronted by gunmen are entitled to return fire, including with deadly force. He acknowledged that he did not visit the scene and did not ask which officer had fired, stating that his role was limited to receiving the report and securing the exhibits.

The trial continues before the Home Circuit Court on Monday.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com