Senior Reporter
Investigators leading the probe into the police-involved shooting of Joshua Samaroo met with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) yesterday.
Senior police officials confirmed the 1 pm appointment, hours after the file was completed and handed over to DPP Roger Gaspard on Tuesday.
It has been almost four months since Samaroo was killed by police during a dramatic confrontation in St Augustine, in an incident that sparked public outrage and heaped widespread criticism on the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro indicated on March 25 that the TTPS investigation had been completed, but one final document was needed before the file could have been forwarded to the DPP.
In a statement on Wednesday, the TTPS assured, “A thorough investigation has been conducted.”
They shared that as part of the investigative process, several exhibits were submitted to the Forensic Science Centre (FSC) for analysis and that investigators had been awaiting the forensic report, which was only handed over on May 19.
Samaroo, 31, was shot multiple times by police officers on January 20 at the corner of Bassie Street Extension and Dookiesingh Street in St Augustine.
A video recording that later surfaced seemed to show the father of two holding his hands outside the vehicle window in an apparent sign of surrender when officers opened fire.
Samaroo and Sealy were both rushed to hospital, where Samaroo was pronounced dead. Sealy, 24, a hairdresser and mother of one, was left paralysed following the incident.
The TTPS yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to “ensuring that this matter is handled thoroughly, professionally, and in accordance with due process.”
They said the public will be updated on the outcome of this investigation in a timely manner.
