A superintendent of police told the coroner’s inquest into the killings by police of seven youth in Braeton last March that he has viewed the CVM Television unedited film footage of the incident but cannot recall hearing Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams, who is in charge of the Crime Management Unit, directing his men to pick up spent shells.

However, when the unedited tape was played at the inquest, Adams was heard telling his men to pick up the spent shells.

According to Superintendent Dormah Harrison, who is in charge of the police’s South St Catherine area, it would be improper to have spent shells picked up before the arrival of Scenes of Crime personnel.

Harrison was being cross-examined by attorney Richard Rowe, who is representing the Estate of Tamayo Wilson, one of seven youth killed by the police at 1088 Fifth Seal Way on March 14, 2001

Rowe: When you saw blood and water in the house, did you also notice spent shells in the house?

Harrison: I did not stop to look.

Rowe: Did you notice spent shells on the ground outside?

Harrison: No.

Rowe: You agree it would not be proper for persons to cause spent shells to be picked up before the arrival of Scenes of Crime personnel.

Harrison: I agree, it would not be proper.

Rowe: In fact, that would have been contamination of the crime scene.

Harrison: Yes, it would be contamination.

Rowe: Have you seen the unedited CVM tape?

Harrison: Yes.

Rowe: Did you see and hear Senior Superintendent Adams directing his men to pick up spent shells?

Harrison: I can’t recall that.

Rowe: Were you there near Superintendent Adams and within hearing when he gave that order?

Harrison: No.

In the evidence in chief led by Janet Scotland, assistant director of public prosecutions, Harrison said that a telephone call on March 14, 2001 informed him of the police operation in Braeton Phase Three and that seven injured persons had been taken to the Spanish Town Hospital.

The superintendent said that he also spoke to Assistant Commissioner of Police Jevene Bent, and she said she would meet him at Braeton.

Harrison testified that when he got to Braeton at 5:30 am, he was briefed by Adams and Superintendent Harry Daley.

He said that he went into the house at 1088 Fifth Seal Way and noticed evidence at three different windows that gunshots were fired from the inside the building.

“The metal louvre windows appeared to have bullet indentations on the inside. That was my impression on going into the house,” Harrison testified.

He said that when he exited the house he was advised that Bent had arrived. After Bent was briefed on her arrival at 6:25 am, she spoke with him and asked him to arrange breakfast for the police party. He then instructed a junior officer to make arrangements for the men to eat at the Pathfinder Club.

Harrison said that Bent, who spoke to different groups of citizens, advised him at about 7:15 am that she would soon be leaving the scene but before departing, instructed him to secure the crime scene. He testified that Scene of Crime personnel from the CIB headquarters arrived at 7:45 am and that he left the scenes at about 7:55 am to join the debriefing session being conducted by Bent at the 100 Man Police Station.

Under cross-examination by Hugh Thompson, who is appearing for the estate of Christopher Grant, another of the seven deceased, Harrison said that on the unedited tape, Bent did not appear to him to be agitated when she was talking to Adams after the operation. Harrison, however, agreed that she appeared concerned.

He disagreed that policemen walking in and around the house at 1088 Fifth Seal Way could cause contamination, because part of police training entailed working in and around crime scenes.

Coroner Lorna Errar Gayle asked Harrison if it was normal for police involved in an operation to be excluded from the crime scene which was being preserved.

He replied that the police would not be specifically excluded. Harrison said that he was given no instructions to exclude from the crime scene, the police involved in the Braeton killings.