Mystery surrounds death of Toco cop

EASTERN Division police are now investigating the mysterious circumstances under which their colleague Aloysius Charles was murdered. Charles, alias “Vagrant,” a 52-year-old policeman was killed while chasing a drug suspect who escaped police custody on Sunday. It was only yesterday that the body of Charles was found in some bushes at Cemetery Street, Toco. Post mortem results revealed that Charles died as a result of shock and haemorrhage consistent with blows to the  forehead.

According to reports, on Sunday at around 4 pm, a party of police officers attached to the Toco Police Station, including Charles, were conducting road-block duties at Eastern Main Road, Toco when they arrested two men for possession of marijuana. The men were taken to the Toco Police Station where they were being cautioned, when one of them jumped over the counter and ran into some bushes opposite the police station. A search party went after the escaped prisoner but in different directions. The prisoner was held and taken back to the station, when Charles was discovered missing. The police returned to the bushes and carried out further searches for their colleague but all proved futile. At 6 am yesterday police returned to the same place they had caught the escapee and found Charles’ body in some bushes.

Dr Fe Reyes, District Medical Officer, viewed the body and ordered it removed to the Forensic Science Centre in Port-of-Spain. When Newsday spoke to ASP Gonzales he confirmed that the father of three was in fact found dead and an arrest was imminent. Other police sources however remained tight-lipped over the information which they said was “sensitive.” When Newsday visited the area residents refused to speak. However one source denied that police were in the area searching during the night for Charles, and pointed out that the area in which the body was found was not bushy. Allister Charles, 18, son of the deceased, said his father told him on Sunday morning before leaving for work that he would help him repair his car upon his return. The next time he heard about his father was when the police came to their home in Madelion Road, Coalmine, Sangre Grande and told them he was dead.

With tears in his eyes Allister said his mother Esther Charles could not believe that her husband was dead and attended the post mortem to see if it was true. “All we want is justice,” Esther cried. The last policeman to be killed was Derrick Nelson, bodyguard of Justice Herbert Volney, who was shot dead in mysterious circumstances in June 2003. No one was ever arrested. The arrested 23-year-old escapee of Dragon Village, Santa Cruz will appear this morning before a Sangre Grande magistrate charged with escaping legal custody and possession of marijuana. Sgt Roy is continuing inquiries.