Wife of slain cop still in hospital under police guard
MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Detectives here are monitoring the progress of a hospitalised woman accused of killing her husband, Constable Damien Blair, a week ago at the couple’s home in Somerset.
A police source told the Jamaica Observer that the woman, up to Monday, was not yet charged.”She is still at the hospital under police guard in a stable condition,” the source said.Charges, said the source, are expected to be laid against the 33-year-old woman once her health improves. “We are watching her progress,” the source said.The couple lived on Desmond McKenzie Close formerly Guava Walk Road in Somerset, a deep-rural community in north-west Manchester.
A police report said about 6:25 pm on May 29, Blair was reportedly shot inside the family home, allegedly by his wife. According to the police, Blair ran from the house but collapsed at his gate, where further wounds were reportedly inflicted with a hammer.
The Observer was told that Blair was found on a dirt road at his gateway clad in only his underpants. Police said his wife was found inside the house with a laceration to her wrist. It is reported that she had barricaded herself inside a section of the house. Constable Blair was pronounced dead at hospital, while his wife was admitted in stable condition.
Police confirmed that investigators found the licensed pistol belonging to Blair and evidence of items used during the dispute, including two hammers and a machete at the couple’s house.
Relatives, neighbours, and colleagues of Blair said the couple had a stormy relationship, which coloured intense discussions about the chilling event last week.
Antonia Sutherland, Blair’s sister, in an interview last week, claimed that the couple was embroiled in disputes for several years during their 13-year relationship, including eight years of marriage.
Blair’s colleagues have organised a candlelight vigil for this Wednesday at 6:30 pm at the Mandeville Police Station where Blair was assigned to the guardroom/patrol department.