Sergeant shot while asleep at Calliaqua police house

Police are investigating the shooting of one of their own, during the early hours of Monday morning.{{more}}

Sergeant 401 Jimmy Jack, who is stationed at the Calliaqua police station, was shot some time around 2:30 a.m. on Monday, while he was at the police house in Calliaqua.

Jack, 54, was reportedly asleep in one of the bedrooms of the police residence, when a shot was fired through the louvres of the window, by an unknown assailant.

According to a police report, the officer received a bullet wound to the right side of his abdomen, as well as injuries to the fingers of his left hand.

Up to press time, Sergeant Jack was still a patient at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

SEARCHLIGHT visited the Calliaqua area on Wednesday and spoke with residents who speculated that Jack may not have been the intended target.

Acting Commissioner of Police Michael Charles condemned the act, saying it is great cause for concern.

“The shooting of any citizen is of great cause for concern, but when anyone can just blatantly shoot at law enforcement officials, that’s greater cause for concern,” he told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday.

Sergeant Jack is the second police officer within the last three months to be shot by an unknown assailant.

Police Constable Jolaine Jack was shot in Kingstown on June 13 during a robbery in which a postal worker was relieved of EC$100,000.

To date, no one has been charged in that matter.

“We have upped our game and are putting a lot of things in place to curb these sorts of incidents,” Charles disclosed.

He said two key elements necessary to bring persons responsible for such acts to justice are quick response by the police and an increase in police presence.

He, however, noted that every effort is being made to ensure that all members of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force are “properly equipped” to handle the tasks at hand.

Charles implored members of the public to be vigilant in relation to criminal activities and to report any suspected criminal activity to the police.

“We can’t be everywhere at the same time, but with the help of a lot of concerned citizens, we are asking them that if they see any suspected actions, whether day or night, to contact us at the soonest time possible for us to deal with the matter.

“But as I said, we’ve put certain measures in place and one thing is for sure, the public will be seeing more of the police,” Charles stated.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Association issued a press release on Wednesday, condemning the shooting of Sergeant Jack.

“We take this opportunity to wish Sergeant Jack a speedy recovery,” the release further said. (AA)