SERGEANT Fitzroy Davis, a police driver assigned to the Crime Management Unit (CMU), whose jeep took one of the seven Braeton youth killed by the police to the Spanish Town Hospital on March 14, 2001, testified at the coroner’s inquest into their killings yesterday that the entire shooting lasted three minutes. He also testified that the shooting could have been finished by about 4:50 am.

Davis’ evidence differs from that of Constable Everton Roberts, who escorted the three police vehicles taking the seven youth to the Spanish Town Hospital.

On Wednesday, Roberts testified that the duration of the entire shooting at Braeton was 10 to 15 minutes.

Davis, who said that he has been in the constabulary force for 22 years, and has been a “force driver for 10 years”, gave evidence in chief contradictory to a statement he wrote on April 30 last year. During his cross-examination, attorneys Dennis Daley and Richard Rowe, appearing for the estates of Reagon Beckford and Tamayo Wilson respectively, pointed out some of these contradictions.

In response to a question from Rowe, Davis said that the entire shooting lasted three minutes. He told Rowe that from the time his vehicle, which was the last in the convoy, reached the car park in Braeton Phase Three, to the time he saw Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams and a number of policemen going down the Fifth Seal Way pathway, there was a lapse of about two minutes.

Rowe pointed out to Davis that in his written statement last year, he said that he arrived at the hospital at about 6:30 am, and that in the evidence in chief yesterday (Friday). he said he arrived at the hospital at 6:20 am.

Rowe: About what time you got to Braeton?

Davis: About 4:30 am.

Rowe: And the shooting lasted three minutes?

Davis: Yes, I said about three minutes.

Under cross-examination, Davis told Daley that he saw “no distinction between about a half hour and about one hour”. In the evidence in chief led by Deneve Barnett, crown counsel from the office of the director of public prosecutions, Davis testified that after about half-an-hour he was instructed to drive down the pathway for the injured youth. But in the statement written by him last year, he said that after about one hour he was instructed to go for the injured youth.

Daley: It’s twice the time you are now saying.

Davis: About one hour could be about a half-an-hour.

Davis testified that when the convoy of police vehicles got to Braeton Phase Three, Senior Superintendent Adams and a group of policemen went down the Fifth Seal Way pathway. He gave evidence that he was still in his jeep in the car park when he heard explosions sounding like hand guns. He said that he heard the first set of gunshots about five minutes after Adams and a number of policemen went down the pathway.

After 30 to 40 seconds, he heard another set of gunshots which sounded as if they were coming from heavier weapons, M16 rifles.

He then heard another barrage of gunshots, sounding like heavy weapons and handguns lasting about one minute. He heard no more gunfire after that, Davis said.

He said that about half-an-hour after the gunshots ceased, he was approached by Adams and instructed to drive his jeep down the pathway and assist in taking the injured youth to the hospital.

He testified that he instructed one Corporal Watkis (now a Sergeant) and a Corporal Bucknor to drive their units onto the pathway. He then drove up the pathway and Watkis and Bucknor followed.

Davis told the inquest that he “placed one male body, sorry about that, one male”, on the floor in the back of the jeep where another policeman was seated.

He testified that one Constable Roberts was instructed to escort the three vehicles with the seven injured youth and that with sirens on and flashing lights, they proceeded to the hospital. He arrived at the hospital at 6:20 and the injured youth was taken from his vehicle on a stretcher by a porter. He said that after Dr Leroy Pottinger pronounced the youth dead, the three jeeps which took them to the hospital returned to Braeton Phase Three.

Davis, in reply to a question from Hugh Thompson, appearing for the estate of Christopher Grant, said that his assignment that morning was to protect government vehicles. He also said that nobody gave him the assignment.

Thompson: Did you think that the police vehicles were in danger?

Davis: Police vehicles are always in danger. As sergeant, it’s my responsibility to take care of the vehicles and make sure that they are safe.

He told Thompson that when he heard the shots he took cover “beside the jeep outside”.