Police officer still not charged with murder

More than a week after Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Colin Williams instructed local police to arrest and charge Constable Rohan McDowall with the murder of Constable Kingsley John, “no positive steps have been taken”.{{more}}

SEARCHLIGHT understands that on Tuesday, August 17, the DPP wrote to the police saying that he is “… at a loss as to why no positive steps have been taken to arrest and charge Constable Rohan McDowall…”.

SEARCHLIGHT also understands that the DPP has advised the police that apart from murder, Constable McDowall “ought to be charged” with “possession of a firearm with intent to commit an offence” and “unlawful use of a firearm”.

John, a member of the Special Services Unit (SSU), was killed on Saturday, August 7, at the Biabou Police Station, shortly after he and other members of his unit had returned from a drug raid. One man was arrested, and drugs and guns were seized during that raid.

A few days after the shooting, a police source had told SEARCHLIGHT that the firearm involved, said to be a M4 assault rifle, was being cleared when it went off accidentally. Two days later, that statement was retracted. The source said then the police are still awaiting a report from the investigating team and have provided counselling for those involved in the investigation.

“It’s difficult in the absence of that (report) to come to a conclusion,” the police source said.

Efforts to reach Commissioner of Police Keith Miller on Wednesday for comment proved futile.

Corporal John, a resident of Dickson, will be laid to rest tomorrow, Saturday, August 21, following a funeral service

at the Georgetown Evangelical Church at 2:00 p.m.

Last year, it took police almost six weeks, after being instructed to do so by the DPP, to arrest and charge three police officers, who were later found guilty of causing actual bodily harm to 15-year-old Jemark Jackson. At the time of the arrest of the officers in July 2009, Commissioner of Police Keith Miller said the arrest of the officers had been delayed because of the drug eradication exercise Operation Vincy Pac and Carnival.