Mystery over who queried gunshot

THE IDENTITIES of the persons who asked the infamous “who bust that shot?” question outside “Agnes shop” on the night of August 19, 2000 Barataria murder remain uncertain, as the evidence of a key State witness conflicted with parts of the statement he had given to the police four days after the murder. Komo Nigel George had, in his evidence-in-chief on Tuesday, said that while hiding in the bushes on the night in question, he had heard voices sounding like that of the accused Hassan Sanchez, Ronald “Doom” Gaskin, Garvin “Bean” Sookram, John Wayne “Bumbles” Alleyne and Junior “Country” Sookram asking, “Who bust that shot?”

The five men are before Justice Rajendra Narine in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court charged with the murder of Roger “One Arm” Alexander at Saw Mill Avenue in Barataria. The father of one was shot four times in the back. Under cross-examination, however, by attorneys Keith Scotland, Sean Cazabon and Margaret Rose yesterday, it was revealed that it was never recorded in George’s statement to the police that he had heard what sounded like the voices of Gaskin, Sookram and Sanchez asking the controversial question while he (George) was hiding in the bushes. According to the statement, the question “who fired that shot?” had been asked by “voices,” but who the voices had belonged to had not been identified.

George had earlier volunteered, under cross-examination by defence attorney Osbourne Charles SC, that when giving the statement to the police they (the police) had asked what “bust” meant and he interpreted it as “fired.” Despite the inconsistencies, the witness insisted that he had not been mistaken when he said he heard a voice like Sanchez’s for approximately one second on that evening. However, he accepted that it was possible that he did not hear Gaskin and Sookram ask the question. The URP foreman also accepted that he could have been mistaken when he had said the object he had seen Sookram carrying earlier that day looked like a “pump action gun.”

Another inconsistency was highlighted by attorney Pamela Elder SC when she proceeded with further cross-examination.  Elder had cross-examined the witness at length on Wednesday.  Referring to the statement dated August 23, 2000, the defence attorney pointed out that the witness had told the police that after his gun had accidentally gone off and he had retreated from his hiding place in the bushes, he had met Kerwin “Doggy” Joseph at the top of a hill and had examined his pants right there in “Doggy’s” presence.

George had, on oath, told the court that he had examined his pants in the bushes and that “Doggy” had not been around. He could give no reason for “telling the police something that wasn’t true.” Attorneys Charles and Elvis O’Connor are representing John Wayne Alleyne, Elder and Owen Hinds Jr are defending Garvin Sookram, Keith Scotland and Michelle Solomon for Hassan Sanchez, Margaret Rose and Richard Mason for Ronald Gaskin and Sean Cazabon and Dawn Mohan for Junior Sookram.  Former Deputy DPP Rangee Dolsingh and senior prosecutor Jeron Joseph are representing the State. Hearing will resume on Monday.