‘I believed I had played my part’

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green yesterday maintained that he would have taken no further action after sending an anonymous letter to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) about a 2013 Acadia Drive, St Andrew shooting, saying he had played his part.

Under cross-examination in the Home Circuit Court during the murder trial of six policemen, Green said the letter was sent in furtherance of his civic duty.

However, when asked by defence attorney Anthony Armstrong how the letter could have been in furtherance of that duty when it contained no name, address or telephone number, Green said he sent his observations to the investigating body for them to “make what they may of it”.

Pressed further on how the letter could have been helpful without any identifying information, Green said he was satisfied in his own mind that he had shared what he had seen with INDECOM, and that it was up to the investigating body to do its investigation.

Asked why he had done nothing else after sending the letter, Green reiterated that he would not have taken any further steps if INDECOM had not reached out to him almost five years later.

“I believed that I had played my part,” he said.

Armstrong, who represents Sergeant Simroy Mott, also questioned Green about the emotional impact of the incident and whether stress could have affected his ability to accurately observe events unfolding quickly on the ground.

Green agreed that the incident was traumatic and rated his stress level about seven out of 10, but insisted that stress did not affect his recollection or accuracy of what he saw.

He accepted that he viewed the incident from an elevated position through a window, describing it as an aerial rather than street-level view. However, he rejected suggestions that a ground-level perspective would necessarily have provided a clearer account.

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Green acknowledged that there was some lapse of time, less than a minute by his estimation, between hearing an initial gunshot and going to the window, but conceded that he could not say what transpired on the ground before he arrived there.

During questioning about his partner’s presence, Green said he went to the window first and that she joined him shortly afterwards and remained there while he was. He confirmed that they later discussed what they had both observed, and that both of them contributed to the anonymous letter.

Armstrong also challenged Green on his description of one of the deceased, who, he said, was holding what appeared to be car papers. Green agreed that this was an assumption based on appearance, agreeing that he could not say with certainty what the papers were. At the same time, he denied a suggestion that none of the men had anything in their hands that appeared to be paper.

He also insisted that he was not mistaken when he testified that he saw police officers pointing weapons at individuals at the scene.

Meanwhile, under cross-examination by defence attorney Althea Grant, who represents Constable Richard Lynch, Green testified that he did not provide INDECOM with descriptions of any of the police officers.

“I could not, and did not,” he said, explaining that he could not speak to their hairstyle, build or complexion, and had informed INDECOM that he could not provide details on any distinguishing features.

He also testified that he was not shown any photographs of the scene when he gave his statement and was not given an opportunity to revisit the location.

Green further conceded that he gave testimony in court about details that were not included in his statement, including evidence that one of the deceased, described as the man of Indian descent, was seated in the front passenger seat with his hands covering his ears while rocking back and forth, and that he heard a police officer telling colleagues to “hurry up”.

Green, however, said that while the details about the Indian man were not recorded in his statement, they were included in the anonymous letter sent to INDECOM.

Further, during cross-examination, Green testified that he could not say which portion of the wall the man in the red shirt had jumped, nor could he recall whether the vehicle he emerged from was tinted.

Green had testified that he saw the man in the red shirt come out of the Outlander vehicle with his hands raised before running and jumping over the wall, after which he was chased by police and fired upon.

Mott, Corporal Donovan Fullerton, and Constables Andrew Smith, Sheldon Richards, Orandy Rose and Richard Lynch are on trial for murder in relation to the January 12, 2013 fatal shooting of Matthew Lee, Mark Allen and Ucliffe Dyer along Acadia Drive.

The trial continues today.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com