RELATIVES of the pregnant woman who was killed by a policeman’s bullets in Yallahs, St Thomas, in 2012, are calling for a retrial after the officer was freed on Monday.

Corporal Dwayne Smart, who over the last four weeks was on trial for the death of 27-year-old Kayan Lamont, who was eight months’ pregnant at the time of the incident, was acquitted of murder in the Home Circuit Court.

Smart was freed of manslaughter and wounding with intent charges after a seven-member jury deliberated for three hours.

The policeman was arrested and charged in 2012 after Lamont was allegedly shot twice after she had been accosted for using indecent language. Her sister was also shot and injured during the incident.

When the Jamaica Observer visited the community of Logwood, where Lamont lived with her family, relatives said they were in disbelief after hearing the verdict on Monday.

Lamont’s uncle, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Observer that prior to the trial he was confident in the justice system and was convinced that justice would be serve.

“No justice no deh deh so,” he said Tuesday.

“If she did do something mi would a cope. She was just expressing her feelings cause them rob her downtown and the officer heard,” the man said.

“[Vybz] Kartel fi deh a road cause the whole a Yallahs see when him shoot Kayan Lamont. Nobody no see when Kartel kill ‘Lizard’,” he said, adding that the accused policeman could have handled the situation differently.

Lamont’s sister, Shenean Lamont, who attended the trial, said when the foreman revealed that the jurors found him not guilty on all three charges she ran from the courthouse.

“When the foreman said not guilty for murder mi draw up closer so mi can see in his mouth. When mi hear not guilty for manslaughter mi say ‘you serious’, wounding with intent not guilty mi say ‘ really God, if you a sleep wake up cause this no real. I ran down the stairs like bullet. Mi run pass Fish Ground’,” Lamont said.

Noting that her sister did not have to die, Lamont said neither of her sisters had a weapon at the time of the incident, and she would have felt better if the policeman was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment.

“The way how mi bawl yesterday (Monday) mi never bawl so when Kayan dead. It was like she died yesterday (Monday). When me reach home I went on her grave. This just brings back everything. She was my best friend,” Lamont said.

“She no fight, she no trouble people. The only thing she do is just laugh. You never know if she up or she down,” Lamont added.

Her grandmother, Esmina Flemings, shared similar sentiments.

Kayan, she said, would normally cook and take her dinner to her in the evenings.

Lamont’s father, Eric, while fighting to hold back tears said, “Mi no feel good to know say after so long it go to court and the jurors them let him go like that.” He said that he was in court for most of the trial but was unable to attend on Monday when the verdict was handed down by the jury because of financial constraints.

“I don’t believe in this jury thing because they don’t study law. Them tek up anybody and then them turn juror. I want a retrial,” the father said, adding that he wanted Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck to look into the verdict.

In the meantime, the deceased woman’s sister, Shemean, said she died leaving two children — ages 10 and 14 years — who have fallen academically since the death of their mother.