Murdered PC knew his killers

CONSTABLE Derrick Nelson knew his killers. That is the firm view of his colleagues and senior investigators. Also, a witness, who has so far refused to go to the police, told neighbours that the way the incident happened at Milton Road, Couva, on the night of May 31, Nelson knew the persons who subsequently shot him. Top investigators in Central and South are searching for the villager who may be able to provide the vital information needed to crack this case. The police believe that the villager may have witnessed the incident on the lone and dark Milton Road but is afraid to come forward in light of what is happening in the country these days. Senior policemen told Newsday yesterday that while Nelson was warded at the San Fernando General Hospital over the last week, he said very little to them. In one instance, he said that one of the men was masked. “It was either he really did not see his attackers or he was withholding the identities until he recovered,” one officer added.

The official police report stated that Nelson was ambushed while driving his car along Milton Road shortly after 11 pm on May 31. He was later shot, robbed of his automatic pistol with ammunition along with cash and jewelry. Nelson was also forced to jump 20 feet into a river to escape his assailants. He also suffered two broken legs as a result of the fall. He was reportedly shot five times about the body. He was rescued minutes later by a villager who summoned others to assist. Nelson left his St Augustine home around 8.30 pm and went to a house in Couva to visit a female friend. After leaving the Couva house, Nelson was reportedly attacked. But the villager who is being sought by the police reportedly told neighbours that Nelson’s car was stopped by three men. Nelson, according to the report, got out of the car and “it appeared that he knew the men”. It was while approaching the men that shots rang out and Nelson was shot. He did not have his revolver with him at the time of the attack.

The report stated that Nelson had no time to return to his car so he jumped into the dark river to escape the attackers. The three men then searched the car where they found the policeman’s revolver along with other items and sped off. Nelson was taken to the Couva Health facility and then transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital. His car was impounded, but later handed back to the family. Although they are treating the motive as robbery, police are not ruling out that it could have been a hit on the CID detective. Nelson, 37, was assigned to Justice Herbert Volney in 1997 after the completion of a major drug case in the Assizes.