‘Jiggers’ not killed by cop’s gun

WHILE an official ballistic testing report was not available up to late yesterday evening, senior police officers have indicated that preliminary investigations show that the bullet which killed Petit Valley resident Kerry “Jiggers” Joseph did not come from a police gun as his relatives alleged. A .380 slug was removed from 27-year-old Joseph, who died Monday after being shot in the head in Pioneer Drive, Petit Valley, May 22. Senior police officers told Newsday yesterday that a .380 slug can’t be used in a .38 revolver because the revolver is not designed to hold a .380 slug. The uniformed officer who was on the scene at the time of the shooting carried a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver, senior police officers said.  The officer is now on injury leave since he was grazed in the head in the Petit Valley incident which started at Pioneer Drive and ended at Cassia Drive Extension.

Asked if the .380 slug is an issue of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), senior police officers replied in the affirmative. However, senior officers said that the .380 slug is not issued to stations, but only to officers from the rank of Inspector upwards. Nevertheless, senior police officers said that the officer’s gun, one spent .38 shell and five live rounds of .38 ammunition, have been sent to Forensic for ballistic testing. Yesterday, acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs told Newsday he has given instructions to speed up the investigation. Snaggs said he met with the head of the Western Division, Sr Supt Selwyn Glasgow and members of the Homicide Department on Tuesday to discuss the matter. He said the investigation is the subject of a criminal one as well as a disciplinary one.  The Petit Valley incident is said to have occurred after an off-duty officer went to a scrapyard in Diego Martin based on information he received.