Cops cleared in fatal shooting
Norval Maconia Barrett
(CNS): The police officers who shot and killed a suspect during an operation in George Town in January have been cleared and will not face any criminal charges following the conclusion of an external investigation. Norvel Barrett (34), who was in Cayman illegally, was gunned down by armed officers in the early hours of 6 January at a house in Windsor Park following reports he was armed with a weapon. The police had arrived at the location with a search warrant suspecting he had guns at the property.
Police have also charged a George Town woman (35) with harbouring a deportee and obstructing police in connection with the case. She was arrested at the time Barret was killed. She was charged yesterday and has been bailed to appear in court later this month.
Barrett was a Jamaican national but he was no stranger to the local criminal justice system, having served a nine-year sentence for armed robbery in HMP Northward. At the time he was killed, he was suspected of having been in Cayman illegally for several months, and just two weeks before he was shot, police had issued an alert to the public that he was wanted and was considered “armed and dangerous”.
When officers tracked him to the house in Windsor Park, where the woman charged yesterday is said to reside, he reportedly came out with a weapon. It is not clear if he fired on the officers as the police have not revealed any details of this external investigation into the incident. They have, however, confirmed that a loaded gun was found at the scene.
The director of public prosecutions has ruled that no criminal prosecution will be pursued in the case against the officers who fired on Barrett, based on the report from the Bermuda Police Service, whose investigators conducted the inquiry into the events after a request by Police Commissioner Derek Byrne.
As a result of those officers’ findings, the police directly involved in the incident have been returned to full and active duty and the case has now gone to the Coroner’s Office for inquest proceedings. RCIPS officials have confirmed that they will not be releasing any details of the findings of the investigation but the inquest hearing, when it happens, is expected to be public.
Caymanian 4:22 pm , I can tell that you wouldn’t be a Caymanian very long if you were a Police officer dealing with dangerous criminals . Never let the criminal to fire the first bullet , cause you might not be able to duck it to fire the next one .
This case shouldn’t haven’t wasted the Courts and the Officer time in the first place .
Good job RCIP.
Thank you RCIP.
I’m sorry to say, Mr Barrett sealed his own fate. He was armed, and based on his past, dangerous.
Good! If you don’t want to die at the hands of police, don’t come out at them with a weapon.
Well you see11:07am the truth is terrible thing is it not. No its only okay when its a Caymanian. Donald Trump is sorting the problem out though 400,000 deported so far and counting ! Some people just cant get out of their crimnal state of mind and expect to carry it with them anywhere they go and believe others must tolerate and accepted. Who the cap fit let them wear it!!!
Trump should just have his Russian buddies patrol the streets of US cities.
As far as i know police arent supposed to open fire until a suspects gun is discharged, im sure they would have said he did if this was the case. This will just support this new police boss’s law that “no officer can be guilty of a crime”
So…..according to your theory, if a person is pointing a gun at you, and an armed police officer arrives on the scene, you could be screaming “shoot him! shoot him!!”, but the police officer would have to say: I’m sorry, but he has not discharged his gun. But don’t worry, when he does actually shoot you, I’ll shoot him.
Do you seriously expect anyone, including police officers, to wait until the suspect actually shoots at them before they can do anything???
Its the “Law” you think this is the first time a police seen a firearm in a man’s hands? And police have been fired at without killing the suspect, in no way im supporting the suspect because he had no business in cayman but. Unfortunately cops cannot be guilty of anything now. So its gonna take a caymanian getting killed to show you how disgusting this law is.
It’s not the Law – you just make it up to fit your prejudices. The l actual law allows someone confronted with a firearm and a reasonable expectation that the person carrying it may fire to shoot first. The lesson here is that the guy that runs out with a gun in his hand can expect to be shot. Don’t want to be shot? Come out hands up, no weapon, problem solved. You run out with a gun in your hand – your choice, consequences are yours.
You are supporting the suspect. You are saying that its ok for someone to threaten the use of a firearm, and the police shouldn’t shoot just in case it’s a Bluff ( and take the risk that some non criminal gets shot whilst they are trying to work out if it’s a Bluff. And how exactly do you think it’s any different if the assailed carrying the gun is Caymanian? Your problem is that you apparently think it’s OK for people to run around with illegal firearms and not pay the consequences of their actions ( provided they are Caymanian).
Moron. So if an armed man is stood aiming a gun to a cops head, he has to wait until the trigger is pulled before taking any action….methinks it might be a bit late by then! Climb back under your rock or go back to school.
Well little trumpet; looks like you need a little help.
Why don’t you put yourself in the officer’s shoes for just a weee moment, then you will realize how stupid you sound.
If a man pulls a gun on me, I am not going to wait until he fires.
Remember this too, we are under British rule and Law, not American.
The only thing that saddens me about this is that he shouldn’t have been the first. They should be shooting the lot of the criminal CAYMANIANS around the island first.
There are so many in each district……that don’t even care about your life, your children’s lives etc….you just don’t know how serious this is! Until they come knocking at your door!
The USG officers were “absolutely justified” in using deadly force on this dangerous criminal. A criminal of this nature, there is no doubt in my mind that he committed other serious acts of criminality in his own homeland of Jamaica and possibly elsewhere.
We have to be very vigilant of all these deportees being sent back from the US, England and Canada and then making their way to our shores on false documents and illegal canoes that arrive weekly.
So just “dash um weh” if they’re suspected to be dangerous. I tell ya im not supporting him just against scum bag law makers and scum bag laws. How many people have been caught red handed literally with firearms and havent been killed? Its a new trend now just watch.
What does nationality have to do with it? Carrying an illegal firearms. Covered by police and run out with the gun in your hand? Jamaican, Caymanian or Martian, the armed police have very right to shoot you down like the punk you are. Don’t want to get shot? Well, don’t do the crime, but if you do, put the weapon down and walk out hands up.
Cue: Conspiracy Theorists, Racists, Jamaican “deportation” comments and all the usual sh*te.
No point , I think you covered it . apart from ‘who’ claiming it was something to do with the British .
Now its all been covered.
Just because you call it shite, doesn’t mean it is.
Maybe, maybe not but have not seen the usual sh*te racist remarks yet. Still it’s early.