Police did not provide search warrant before shooting incident

by Linda Straker

• Charles, a national footballer is presently stabilised at the General Hospital
• Search warrant not presented to Willian Charles by police

Lawyer for the family of Jamol Charles who was shot in the leg by a police officer in the early hours of Sunday, 5 July 2020 is claiming that a search warrant was not presented to the mother when she inquired from the police why they were on her property.

“No search warrant was provided,” Jerry Edwin said on Monday, during a news briefing in which he disclosed that Willian Charles, the mother of Jamol, along with other family members and eyewitnesses were in the process of providing a statement to police as part of the investigation.

Charles, a national footballer is presently stabilised at the General Hospital. Edwin said he was shot by the police officer when he sought to find out what was happening, because his mother and a female officer were “exchanging words.”

Disclosing the circumstances before the shooting, Edwin said that one of the officers tried to push open the gate of Charles’ house and like any responsible homeowner she tried to close her door. “There were words exchanged between a female officer and Ms Charles, who said you cannot come into my house, if you do not have a warrant to come in. The female officer insisted on coming in and Ms Charles said no, you cannot come in,” he said.

Claiming the officer was within proximity to the footballer, Edwin said that officer was standing on a stair that leads to the veranda of the house. “Jamol was shot by a police who was at least 6 feet away from him,” Edwin. He disclosing that Ms Charles screamed in fear because she thought she was going to be injured when she heard the gunshot.

After people in the community learnt about the shooting of Charles, the residents became upset because he was not provided with immediate medical attention. Videos circulating on social media platforms are showing the residents lifting him from his home to a vehicle.

Within minutes, residents in the community were protesting, calling for justice for Charles. However, the situation calmed when high ranking officers of the RGPF met with residents and came to a mutual understanding.

On Sunday, the RGPF Community Relationship Department confirmed that an investigation has commenced into the incident, but a statement is yet to issue.

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