Vincy Pac shooting deaths probe completed

The investigation into the shooting deaths of three young men at Vermont during Vincy Pac by the hands of the police has been completed.{{more}}

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves made the disclosure on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at a press conference.

The documents concerning the investigation into the shooting deaths of Asborn Devon Nickie, a 20-year-old resident of Vermont, his friend Brezen Frederick, 23, also of Vermont, and 29-year-old Dwayne O’Brian Herbert of Chalky Mount, St. Andrew, Barbados, on May 21, 2010, are now in the hands of Colin Williams, Director of Public Prosecutions.

“It is for that office and with the Attorney General’s Chambers to make sure that the coroner who is a magistrate sets the date for the Coroner’s Inquest,” said Gonsalves.

Gonsalves explained that his role in the matter is to ensure that the Commissioner of Police conducts an investigation.

“As I understand it, they have done a thorough investigation. As I understand it I think they even got someone from Barbados to come in and oversee the nature of the investigation which they were having,” said Gonsalves, who added that the senior investigator from Barbados was brought in to ensure transparency.

Gonsalves disclosed that he is unaware of the nature of the investigation because he is only the Executive.

Its almost a year since the shooting death, but the many conflicting reports surrounding the deaths of three men in the Top Village area of Vermont still leave more questions than answers.

The men were shot and killed during an operation of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.

According to a police press release, at about 6:30 p.m on the fateful day, after receiving certain information, police went to the Vermont area looking for Herbert.

The release said, upon approaching the area where the fugitive was believed to be, shots were fired at the police, who returned fire. As a result, the three men were killed.

The police release disclosed that a 9mm pistol was found at the scene, while a search continued for “other weapons believed to have been used by the men during the attack on the police”.

According to the Nation newspaper, Herbert was wanted in Barbados for the December 24, 2008, murder of Holbert Ricardo Davis, a barber of Vault Road, Welchman Hall, St. Thomas.

Just three years ago, Herbert was set free of an 18-year sentence for endangering the life of Pedro Caddle at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in a 2002 shooting incident, the Nation reports.

The drama that came to an end with gunfire late evening May last year, began with the commencement of Operation Vincy Pac, the anti-crime exercise conducted by the Regional Security System. (HN)