A police sergeant who said he stayed in the parking lot leading to 1088 Fifth Seal Way in Braeton where seven youth were killed by the police last year March, told the coroner’s inquest into the killings Monday that between 4:30 am when the police party arrived and 5:45 am when he reversed down Fifth Seal Way to collect three “injured” youth, he could not recall seeing a CVM Television vehicle arrive and park.

Sergeant Marvin Martin’s testimony contradicted those of CVM journalist Michael Pryce and his camera man, Milton Reid, who had told the inquest that they arrived at the scene at 4:56 am and 4:55 am respectively on the morning of March 14, 2001.

Pryce had said that the camera man began video-taping immediately after they alighted from the vehicle and that when they arrived at Fifth Seal Way and parked, he (Pryce) saw Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams, Superintendent Cornelius Walker and Superintendent Harry Daley in an open lot. There was also a barefooted young man with his hands handcuffed behind his back and he asked Reid to tape him.

But in reply to a question from attorney Richard Rowe, who is appearing for the estate of Tamayo Wilson, one of the seven youth killed, Martin, who testified that he was parked on the roadway, said that he did not recall seeing a yellow CVM vehicle drive up.

Martin, who is a driver assigned to the Crime Management Unit (CMU), said that he remained in the Mitsubishi Pajero assigned to him during the police operation on March 14, 2001.

He said that after the gunfire, which lasted for about 20 minutes, was over at about 5:45 am, Senior Superintendent Adams instructed him to drive on to the Fifth Seal Way pathway and take some of the “injured” youth to the hospital. He testified that he left for the Spanish Town Hospital with three of the youth at about 6:10 am.

Rowe: Given the gunshots you heard for 20 minutes, you were being cautious of what was going on around you on the road and in the parking lot?

Martin: Yes sir.

Rowe: And since one of your duties as a force driver is to look after and protect the police vehicles you would have been aware of other vehicles arriving and joining the police vehicles after the shooting?

Martin: I would have noticed what vehicles drove in.

Rowe: You would have taken particular note if it were not a police vehicle. Did you see a yellow CVM vehicle drive up?

Martin: I don’t remember seeing a yellow CVM vehicle.

Rowe: Did you see any other vehicle drive up?

Martin: I never saw any other vehicle drive up.

Martin said that when he reached the hospital, the three “injured youth” were put on one stretcher.

In the evidence in chief led by Janet Scotland, assistant director of public prosecutions, Martin said that 10 to 15 minutes after he reached Braeton and parked, he heard gunshots coming from the direction of Fifth Seal Way. He testified that there were two rounds of gunshots, both of which lasted five to 10 minutes. He said that there was a lapse of about five minutes between the first and second set of gunfire.

Monday’s sitting of the inquest also received the handwritten statement of Sergeant Fitzroy Davis, another CMU driver, who began testifying on Friday.

Davis told Rowe that he could not recall deleting some words from the statement with “white out” (liquid paper).

The jury was shown the handwritten statement after Rowe asked the coroner, Lorna Errar-Gayle, for permission.