AUDREY Stephens, the woman who three years ago survived after being driven into a barrage of gunfire in Flankers, St James in 2003, yesterday began recounting before a judge the events that unfolded on the morning of the shooting that left two people dead.

Stephens, a prosecution witness, was giving testimony during the trial of the five officers charged with the murders of 63 year-old taxi operator David Bacchus and 65 year-old newspaper vendor, Cecil Brown, arising out of a police operation in Red Dirt, Flankers, St James on October 25, 2003.

Stephens told the court that on the morning of the incident, some time after 3:00 am, she came out of her house and began waiting by her gate for Bacchus to pick her up. As was their arrangement for the past three years, Bacchus was to pick her up that Saturday morning and take her to a market in Montego Bay, St James.

Stephens told the court that no sooner had she gotten into the car that she saw a person’s head appear from behind a trailer head, parked about 45 feet away from the car.

“.The head look out and go back in three times,” Stephens told the court. Bacchus, she said, then drove off and headed in the direction of the parked trailer head. However, as soon as his car passed it, Stephens, with a tinge of eagerness in her voice, said bullets began hitting the car from all directions.

“As soon as the car reach around the truck is pure gunshot, and the car still driving. I am telling you the truth, it (gunshots) coming from all directions,” she said.

Stephens told the court that she frantically ducked to the floor of the car, trying to avoid the bullets. The car, she said, was still moving, but now much slower than before.

She testified that after the gunshots eased up she glanced out of the car’s rear window and saw several police officers around.

“When I eased up and looked through the back windscreen I saw police. I saw the guns and I saw them in the blue suits. The place wasn’t dark. It was lots of policemen. I can’t estimate to say six or seven, whole heap of police I did saw,” Stephens said.

“At the time when I saw them they wasn’t doing nothing, but when I go back down I hear ruggu ruggu ruggu, pure gunshot coming in the car.”

After the second barrage of gunshots ended, Stephens told the court, the car ran slowly for a while then stopped suddenly. She came out of the car to see numerous policemen positioned all over the scene.

Looking next towards an entrance in front of her, Stephens told the court that she saw three policemen approaching her, one of them a woman. She then shouted to herself. “God me know me not doing anything that is wrong. If is the one woman fi spare mi life this morning let her spare mi life.”

Shortly afterwards the woman cop ran up to Stephens, she told the court, and told her to stand by the other two officers she had come with. The lady officer then asked Stephens if she had been shot and Stephens told her yes. The officer then peered into the car and asked if the driver was Bacchus, which Stephens confirmed.

Stephens ended her testimony by saying that neither she nor Bacchus or Brown were in possession of any guns while they travelled in the car.

Her testimony will continue in today’s hearing of the matter.

On Monday, another prosecution witness, Yvonne Fray, told the court that she heard the police fire gunshots into a zinc fence nearby the spot where the car carrying Bacchus, Brown and Stephens had come to rest after the shooting subsided.

She told the court that while looking through a window in her house, which is located in close proximity to the scene of the incident, she saw the police toss two bodies into the back of a motor vehicle. Some time afterwards, she told the court, she heard the police fire shots into a zinc fence.

The five officers charged with the murders of Bacchus and Brown are Special Constable Metro McFarlane, Constable Bibzie Foster, Constable Kevin Williams, Constable Kadian Smith and Constable Donald Thomas.

They are represented by attorneys-at-law Lloyd McFarlane, Valerie Neita-Robertson, K Churchill Neita QC, Deborah Martin and Carolyn Reid-Cameron respectively.

The prosecution is lead by Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn, with assisting crown counsel Jeremy Taylor.

The prosecution is alleging that the policemen fired upon Bacchus’ taxi without provocation, and that the five were aiding and abetting each other in common design, which resulted in the deaths of Brown and Bacchus. The prosecution is scheduled to call at least 30 witnesses.

The case is being presided over by Justice Kay Beckford.