Relatives of murdered Siparia labourer Kester “Vat” Ramsey claim he was innocently gunned down yesterday and eyewitness saw police officers standing over his body.
His killing came days after a senior Siparia police officer drove along Quinam Road and menacingly pointed his gun towards Ramsey, said relatives.
Outraged at his death, relatives plan to report the killing to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).
“The lady who saw what happened said when she looked out of her house after the shots and she saw him (Ramsey) moving on the ground and the police stood watching him die,” a relative told the T&T Guardian yesterday.
Police said that around 2.50 am, acting Cpl Boodhai and PC Sooklal responded to a command centre report of loud explosions at Quinam Road.
While driving along the road, they saw Ramsey, 26, a father of two, lying motionless on the roadway with gunshot wounds to the left side of his chest, his left armpit and left eye.
He was wearing a black T-shirt, a pair of grey jeans and a pair of black slippers.
District Medical Officer Dr Sandi Arthur examined the body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, for an autopsy.
Crime Scene Investigators Frederick-Alexander and Sagar processed the scene and nothing of evidential value was found, investigators said.
His grandmother, Ruby Estick, said she did not know where he was going or coming from that morning, saying he also lives at Ritoville.
She said: “All I knew is that this morning I was going to say my prayers and I heard a car stop and blew a horn. I looked out and said ‘Yes. What you all want?’
“I saw it was police and I asked them if they came to search my house. They said they just came to tell me Kester got shot.
“I went in the yard and spoke to them. The people who saw the police down the hill said some of them were wearing black. When they came up here, a few of them were really in black. Police said they did not do it but people saw.
“They (police) said they got a message and when they came, they saw Kester on the ground. They took him up and carried straight to Port-of-Spain. I told the police, ‘Allyuh kill the man’ but they said they did not do it.”
Although police said Ramsey was known to them and was being investigated for a series of robberies, relatives said he was only owing the court after he was ordered a pay a fine for taking his former girlfriend’s laptop some years ago.
They said there was a warrant for his arrest but Ramsey was never held despite appearing in court last week for a case they believe he was framed for. Estick said the police officers in the matter were not even coming to court.
Relatives said police stopped his car near Quinam Beach and searched it almost two weeks ago. They said the officers knew Ramsey, especially since his photo was shown several times on TV6’s Beyond the Tape.
Calls were made to Assistant Commissioner of Police Cecil Santana but there was no response. Calls were also made to Snr Supt Nazrool Hosein but he was said to be in a meeting.
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