A POLICE corporal from the Special Anti-Crime Task Force (SACTF) yesterday testified at the Coroner's Inquest into the killing of seven men in Braeton, St. Catherine last year March that he was unable to remember the names of three of his colleagues who he drove to the area and who were part of a police party that went down to Lot 1088 Fifth Seal Way.
Under cross-examination by attorney-at-law Maurice Sau-nders, who is representing the family of 19-year-old Dane Whyte, Corporal Ainsworth Bucknor said that on March 14, last year, three of his colleagues from the SACTF drove with him to Cassava Piece, Kingston 8, and Braeton Phase Three.
He testified, however, that he couldn't recall the names of the policemen. Asked again if he could try to remember the men's name, the witness said he couldn't. Bucknor said the three men were armed when going down the pathway at Fifth Seal Way.
He said from where he had parked his vehicle in the parking lot, he could see other policemen going down Fifth Seal Way, but couldn't see if they were armed because it was dark. The witness said one of his colleagues drove in the front passenger seat the day but he couldn't remember who he was either.
That response was given close to the 1 p.m. lunch break yesterday, and Mr. Saunders, in closing, asked the witness to try to see if during the break he could refresh his memory regarding his colleagues' name. On resumption however, Bucknor said he still couldn't remember the names of any of his three colleagues. Asked why he couldn't have telephoned SACTF to get their names, the witness told the court he still wouldn't have got their names seeing he can't remember them, not even the policemen's first names.
Earlier in examination by Crown Counsel Janet Scotland, the witness said he left the SACTF in Kingston at 3:30 a.m. on March 14, last year and went to Cassava Piece. From there, he said the police party went to West Cumberland in Portmore, St. Catherine and left for Braeton Phase Three with a young man.
Bucknor told Coroner Mrs. Lorna Errar-Gayle and the 12-member jury that having reached Braeton, his three colleagues came out of the vehicle he drove, and went down Fifth Seal Way. Five minutes later, the witness said he heard explosions sounding like gunshots which lasted for 10 minutes. He said he laid on the front seat of his vehicle when the shots were being fired.
The witness said an hour later, one Sergeant Davis told him that Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Reneto Adams had instructed that he reverse the police vehicle he drove into Fifth Seal Way. He said the time was about 5:40 a.m.
He said three men, who appeared to have been injured, were placed in the vehicle and he was told to take them to Spanish Town Hospital which he did. The witness testified he reached the hospital at 6:24 a.m. where the men were later pronounced dead.
When cross-examined by attorney-at-law Hugh Thompson, who is representing the family of Christopher Grant, 17, Bucknor said the three injured men were placed on the floor at the back of the police vehicle he drove. He said he took a good look at them and noticed they were bleeding, but that he couldn't say whether they were dead.
He said, however, he was concerned about the young men but didn't help in removing their bodies from the vehicle to the casualty department at Spanish Town Hospital.
Continuing his evidence, Bucknor told the court that after leaving the hospital the morning, he returned to Braeton then later left for Pathfinders Club where he had a soda while his colleagues drank beer.
When cross-examined by attorney-at-law Richard Rowe who is representing the family of Tamayo Wilson, 20, the corporal testified that the shots he heard at Braeton lasted for 16 to 18 minutes and not 10 minutes as he'd said earlier. He said he was incorrect when he wrote in his statement that it was SSP Adams who had directly instructed him to reverse his vehicle into Fifth Seal Way.
He denied seeing policeman picking up spent shells at Lot 1088 on the day in question. He also denied hearing SSP Adams instructing policemen to remove spent shells from the same house.
Under cross-examination by attorney-at-law Oswest Senior-Smith, one of the lawyers representing the police, Bucknor told the court he was unable to see what the police were doing at Fifth Seal Way while he parked in an adjacent parking lot.
The corporal added that his specific duty at Braeton that day was to secure his vehicle and ensure he responded immediately to any requests to use his vehicle.
The inquest continues tomorrow with Detective Sergeant Devon Harris of the Scene of Crime section continuing his evidence regarding swabbing done on the seven young men.
