“I responded to a domestic dispute, not a gunfire.”
That was prosecution witness sergeant Daniel Prescott’s reply when defense lawyer Ronald Marks put to him that the police at the Calliaqua Police Station never responded to a matter at Diamond on April 13th, 2021, until they heard a gunshot was fired.
Marks represented Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Karim Nelson, a defendant in the just-concluded trial for the April 13th, 2021, shooting of 62-year-old Cornelius John.
John was shot at his home as three persons stormed onto his property. He said he recognized government senator Ashelle Morgan whom he knew very well and who, he claimed, told him she would shoot him in his mouth if he called her name.
Nelson was arrested and charged with unlawfully wounding John and unlawfully discharging a firearm at him.
During cross-examination, Nelson’s lawyer pressed Prescott as he tried to convince the court that considerable time had elapsed since the Calliaqua police received a report of an incident and it was not until they heard a gunshot was fired that they set out for Diamond
In his examination in chief, Prescott had said that at about 5.20 p.m on April 13th he was at Calliaqua police station when corporal Scarborough informed him of a report of a domestic dispute at Diamond.
When put to him in cross-examination that according to the station diary they left the station at 6.51 p.m, Prescott said he could not admit 6.51 p.m was the time they left as recorded in the diary.
Marks referred to Prescott’s statement where he said he “immediately” boarded his private vehicle.
Prescott said when he and other officers left the station they went directly to Diamond. He agreed it takes 10 – 15 minutes to drive from Calliaqua to Diamond depending on traffic.
Marks put to Prescott that the incident of the gunshot occurred sometime between 6.30 and 7.15 p.m and that he arrived at the scene after 7 p.m, but he said he never checked the time he arrived at the scene but he did not arrive at the scene after 7 p.m.
Sergeant Prescott told the court that because officers are busy at times entries for reports and other activities are sometimes made in the station diary later than they occur.
He said he, along with PC Jomo Toppin and a party of men, got ready to respond to the domestic dispute report but the police transport was out on duty so they waited for it to return. He said that as police transport was taking some time to return he used his personal vehicle.
On arrival at Diamond, Prescott said he met and spoke with auxiliary police constable Rochel Franklyn. They went to an unpainted concrete house where he saw Cornelius John sitting with legs stretched out.
He said he spoke with John who told him Morgan brought some men to kill him. He said he could not recall if John told him anything else.
Prescott said he observed John had an injury to his left leg which was bleeding and he told him he was shot. He said he called the station for an officer to call for the ambulance. While waiting for the ambulance, he decided to “scan” the area – including the porch/verandah and yard.
Prescott told the court that Toppin called him and showed him what appeared to be a 9mm spent shell was under the porch on the steps. He said Toppin took up the shell and kept it in possession as an exhibit.
Prescott when he called back to the police station he was told the ambulance was not available. He said that with the assistance of Toppin and the party of officers, John was placed in his (Prescott’s) personal vehicle and they left the scene for the Calliaqua police station.
He said that on arrival he met police transport and John transferred to it.
Prescott told the court that at about 11.45 a.m on Sunday 6th June he, along with detective corporal Henry Hoyte and crime scene expert PC Elroy Quammie went back to the scene where he met John and lawyer Kay Bacchus-Baptiste. He said he pointed out where a spent shell was met and Pc Quammie to measurements. He said John pointed out where he was when he was shot and he pointed out to the investigator where he met John sitting on arrival at the scene.
Prescott said he did not recover any other shell.
