Police Complaints Authority Director, David West, is defending the PCA’s investigation into the shooting death of PC Clarence Gilkes after Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob described it as preliminary.
PC Gilkes was shot dead during a confrontation between officers and a 29 year old man in Richplain, Diego Martin on 22nd April, 2022.
An autopsy later concluded that Gilkes died from a single gunshot wound to the back of his head.
The PCA, in a strongly worded statement, claimed that scientific evidence clearly demonstrates PC Gilkes was fatally shot by one of his fellow officers
In a statement, the PCA described the incident as one of the clearest examples of abuse of police power that it has investigated to date.
It revealed that the evidence showed that officers of the TTPS shot at an unarmed civilian and, unfortunately, PC Clarence Gilkes became an unintended target.
According to the PCA, further evidence revealed that police officers deliberately misled the Acting Commissioner on the events that transpired by informing him that an unarmed civilian would have shot PC Gilkes.
Acting Commissioner Jacob, speaking with News Power Now, questioned the PCA’s claim that his officers misled him.
Commissioner Jacob added that he believed the PCA had no right to reveal any information based on what he described as “preliminary” findings.
However Mr West told News Power Now that the PCA’s investigation was extensive and defended the need to publicly reveal its findings.
The PCA also noted that it has made recommendations to both the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the office of the Acting Commissioner of Police but did not say what those recommendations were.
Asked to further elaborate on the recommendations, Mr West said he preferred not to do so at this moment.
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