Superintendent in charge of the parish, Owen Ellington, has reassured members of the affected communities that the officers under his command have been instructed to co-operate fully with the investigating team.

An angry mob of residents from Tucker and Retirement took to the streets Thursday and vented their anger at the police shooting of 25-year-old Aston Watson. According to a police report, Watson was one of five men who engaged them in a four-mile, high-speed chase from Reading, followed by a gun battle in Tucker.

But area residents who charged that Watson was killed in cold blood, felled trees, lit hugh fires along the road and marched to the police divisional headquarters to get answers. A delegation of seven women, led by the councillor for the Granville Division, Michael Troupe, met with Superintendent Ellington shortly after 1:00 pm on Thursday.

After the brief meeting the residents, who had vowed to keep demonstrating until they had received “justice”, agreed to give the police seven days to investigate the shooting.

Superintendent Ellington assured them that:

* the community would be kept up to date on the progress and outcome of the investigation;

* the men under his command had been instructed to co-operate fully with the investigating team.

He also reassured them that 27-year-old Godfrey Dove, alias Shaggy, who was arrested during the protest and charged with breaching the Anti-litter Act and possession of ganja, would be granted bail.

Superintendent Ellington also appealed to witnesses to co-operate with the OPR team, but said he had decided against removing the officers involved from front-line duty.

“The occupants of the car engaged in a running gun battle that started in Reading and concluded in Tucker,” he said. “We have evidence indicating how the incident happened, we have it all on tape and we can prove the series of events.”