The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) has initiated its own independent investigations into Monday's incident which claimed the lives of PC Russell Ramnarine and UWI student Avery Keshwar. This was confirmed yesterday to the T&T Guardian by head of the PCA David West.
When contacted yesterday to confirm whether or not the PCA was seeking interest in the case, West said most definitely and added that the PCA would soon be requesting the police report not only to review but also to “conduct an audit into the report. “This will be in accordance to the PCA Act Section 21 (1) (2),” West added.
Asked if the audit would be a forensic one, West replied: “Not forensic but an audit.”
As the investigations continued into the incident, yesterday the part of the Aranguez Main Road that runs in front of the barbecue establishment where Ramnarine, 24, and Keshwar, 22, were killed remained cordoned off with heavily armed police officers standing guard. There were also frequent mobile police patrols.
A firearm expert, who wished not to be identified, yesterday explained to the T&T Guardian the trajectory of the bullets which claimed the officer and the student’s lives could have either come from inside the establishment or from point blank range, meaning close range to the vehicle in which Ramnarine and Keshwar occupied.
“The shooting angles, the angle in which the bullets entered would determine the direction from where it came and the distance. What would also be evidential and a determining factor is where the spent shells were found,” the expert added.
Ramnarine, 24, who started off his career as a Special Reserve Police officer about two years ago, was absorbed into the Police Service over a year ago. He was first attached to the Sangre Grande Police Station but was transferred a few months ago to the St Joseph Police Station.
Ramnarine was a main witness in a case involving several police officers, including seniors, who are currently before the courts charged with a criminal offence.
Ramnarine and Keshwar were gunned down on Monday morning at Aranguez Road, Aranguez, after they had gone to the area to recover a cellphone that had been reported stolen.
It was reported that Ramnarine, along with a uniformed officer of the St Joseph Police Crime Patrol, accompanied the victim in an unmarked vehicle to Aranguez to meet the suspect to retrieve the cellphone among other items.
When the suspect observed the uniformed officer seated in the vehicle, he took off on foot causing PC Ramnarine and the other officer to give chase along Williams Street, Aranguez.
While the uniformed officer continued to give chase on foot, Ramnarine, who was in plainclothes, returned to the vehicle in which Avery was still seated, at which point, they were fired upon. Both men died at the scene. Four people, including a woman, remained in police custody up to yesterday and are being questioned in connection with the incident.
A firearm, a Glock 18, was also recovered at the scene and sent to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, for ballistic testing. Ramnarine will be given a full military-style funeral today. The service will take place at his home at Guaico/Tamana Road, Sangre Grande, from 9 am.
Investigations are continuing.