A prosecution witness, whose mother Lewina Thompson was one of four people shot and killed by police at Crawle, Clarendon on May 7, 2003, who was scheduled to testify in the murder trial of Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams and five policemen in the Home Circuit Court, Kingston yesterday failed to take the witness stand.

The 10 year-old girl, who was eight years of age when she witnessed the incident, was brought into court under a heavy disguise of a wig and dark glasses, but she seemed terrified.

Crown Counsel Terrence Williams, obviously surprised by her mannerism, requested from trial judge Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe, a 10-minute adjournment for her to regain her composure. However, at the resumption Williams told the court that the prosecution would not call the witness “at this time” and called another witness instead.

Meanwhile, witness Rudy Risden, 19, a welder and bodywork man of Crawle, who spent the day on the witness stand, testified that at about 2:00 p m on May 7, 2003, he was going for his goat and saw four policemen in bulletproof vests coming from Mathias Gully district. He said he went back home and heard two gunshots fired at Angie’s (deceased Angella Richard’s) home. Earlier, he testified that he rode his bicycle home and went down the road for a screwdriver to repair a Walkman radio.

On returning home he was at the back of his yard when he saw a police van (mini-bus) coming up the road, made a fast stop at ‘Maas Sonny’s’ gate and men (police) jumped out. He said the men were armed with “short gun and long gun” and were firing at Maas Sonny’s house.

“Angie, Ferris and Matthew and another youth were at the house. Them was sitting on the verandah and them get up an run inside the house,” he said. Risden said when the firing started he went to Maas Bernard’s house, which was next to his house, and called Bernard’s stepson.

He added that shots were being fired at Maas Sonny’s yard and down in the bush behind the house.

Risden said he saw Matthew and another man at Angie’s house sitting on the verandah step, while Ferris was sitting on a column. Bulpie and Angie were sitting on chairs.

The van, he testified, then turned up at Angie’s yard.

Risden told the 12-man jury that he saw a white open-back van back up in Maas Sonny’s yard, “and the bus shine a light, men come out a the van tek up someone and put into the van.” Four people (bodies) were put in the van, he said.

Under cross-examination from defence lawyer Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, Risden said he never heard a gun fired in Crawle before that day. He said he was so frightened, he looked for a while, then he ran to Maas Bernard’s yard.

He said the mini-bus that carried the policemen had dark windows, and that he did not go back to Angie’s house after the shooting.

Risden also told the court that he knew Bashington “Chen Chen” Douglas who is from the district but “he usually come and go”.

The trial continues today when it is expected that the 10 year-old eyewitness will testify.