A witness in the murder trial of six policemen testified under cross-examination by defence attorney Hugh Wildman on Wednesday that she heard an explosion on January 12, 2013 when three men were killed by cops, but she wasn’t able to tell where the explosion came from.

The three men who were killed in the incident which occurred on Acadia Drive in Barbican, St Andrew, were Matthew Lee, Mark Allen and Ucliffe Dyer.

On trial in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston in relation to their shooting deaths are Sergeant Simroy Mott, Corporal Donovan Fullerton, and Constables Andrew Smith, Sheldon Richards, Orandy Rose and Richard Lynch. Corporal Fullerton is also charged with making a false statement to the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom).

“I cannot say where the explosion came from,” the witness told the seven-member jury in the case, explaining that she had no clue whether the sound was as a result of people firing at the police.

The deceased men were alleged to have been in a shoot-out with the police when they were killed. A fourth man was said to have escaped.

The cops had reported that they were conducting an operation when they signalled the driver of a Mitsubishi Outlander motor vehicle to stop. It was further reported that the driver was initially reluctant to stop, but when he did, men alighted from the vehicle opening fire at the police who returned fire killing three of the men.

The witness, who on Monday took the stand to begin her testimony, told the court that she was at home with her partner when they heard an explosion. According to the witness, the explosion prompted both of them to go to a window in their room to look outside. She told the court that when she looked out, she saw police personnel interacting with the three men who are now dead.

One was reportedly sitting on the ground with cops standing over him. The witness testified that another man, who was of Indian descent, was seen talking to cops with what appeared to be car papers in his hand. The witness claimed there was a third man who was sitting in the Mitsubishi Outlander who then exited the vehicle with his hands raised above his head.

She testified that there were more explosions after that.

She made it clear that she did not see any of the men attacking the police.

On Wednesday, the witness also told the court that she did not hear the police shout, “Drop the gun, bwoy”, while addressing one of the now-deceased men.

According to the witness, after she saw certain things surrounding the incident, she went into her bathroom and cried.

She said that her partner called Indecom following the incident to make an anonymous report.

The witness said she then collaborated with her partner to pen a statement to Indecom, explaining what they observed.

The witness said after she and her partner wrote the letter, that was the end of her involvement in the matter until she was called to give a statement to Indecom in 2017.

She said that she did not see the police put any weapon in any motor vehicle, although her partner, who was previously a witness in the case, testified that he saw cops with two guns. These guns were said to have been taken from the deceased men.

Wildman also pressed the witness to give more details on a meeting she had last week in a room adjoining the court. The witness admitted that in the meeting were prosecutor Kathy-Ann Pyke and a representative of Indecom who is also a witness in the case.

Wildman had told the court that on Monday morning when he was heading to the bathroom, he stumbled upon Pyke, the witness, and the Indecom representative sitting around a table with the witness’s statement to Indecom in front of them.

The witness admitted to Wildman that Pyke was going through her entire statement with her in the room. According to the witness, the Indecom representative said nothing during the meeting.

The witness said that the prosecutor was simply preparing her as a witness.

On Wednesday she told the court that she and Pyke did not get to finish their meeting because Wildman entered the room and began to make a scene.

She admitted that before Wildman left the room, he accused the prosecutor of doing something improper.

During his cross-examination of the witness, Wildman probed whether she was telling the truth and whether she believed in God.

The witness said she believes in a creator and not God. She added that a person does not have to believe in God to tell the truth.

The trial continues today.