The police officer involved in the shooting that claimed the life of mentally ill Dwayne Husbands almost six years was “not qualified” to carry or use firearms at that time.
That was the evidence coming out of the Coroner’s Inquest led by Magistrate Graveney Bannister into the death of 38-year-old Husbands who was shot by Police Constable Derek Boyce on August 17, 2016.
In his testimony, Acting Inspector of Police Richard Greenidge who was attached to the Training Division of the police force at the time of the incident told the court on Wednesday that based on the records, Constable Boyce’s “most recent exposure to firearms training” when the report was compiled was on April 26, 2012.
“. . . PC Boyce is not qualified to carry or use firearms . . . . That was based on the last occasion that PC Boyce attended the firearms training . . . . He subsequently had training but did not qualify,” Greenidge testified.
Constable Boyce, who also gave evidence before the court on Wednesday, also admitted during cross-examination by the lawyer for the deceased’s family, Errol Niles: “I was not qualified at that period of time, Sir.”
During his testimony, the police officer recounted what took place on the day that Husbands, who suffered from a psychotic illness, died.
Boyce, who was attached to the Crab Hill Police Station, gave evidence that he and another police officer dressed in uniform went on duty in a police vehicle to Husbands’ mother’s residence at Trents Tenantry, St Lucy, on August 17, 2016, after receiving information from a mental health officer.
They were to transport the man to the Psychiatric Hospital and had a referral form directing them to do so.
“I was the designated driver. I was in possession of a Glock pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition and one extendable baton,” testified Boyce who added that the other officer had a pair of handcuffs.
He disclosed, under cross-examination by Niles, that the 9 mm pistol had been issued to him by a police sergeant.
Constable Boyce said when he arrived at the house around 10 a.m., he parked the vehicle about eight feet from the verandah and the two officers got out and walked towards the house.
A bottom louvre on the western side of the house was open and it was through there that they saw a man, who later identified himself as Husbands, looking out.
They engaged him in conversation and asked for his mother who he said had gone to work.
The officers requested that Husbands step out the house, which he did and “stood directly in front of us”.
According to Boyce, the other officer told Husbands that his mother had reported that he was not taking his medication and not behaving.
Boyce said Husbands replied, “Nothing ain’t wrong with me, I good.”
The other officer then told Husbands they wanted him to go with them to the Psychiatric Hospital to get medical attention.
Boyce and his colleague then each held one of Husbands’ hands.
“His demeanour immediately changed and he started to struggle violently with us, making it very difficult to place the handcuffs on his hands. He continued to struggle with us for about three minutes while saying ‘wunna wicked, wunna want killing’. He eventually got away from our grasps,” Constable Boyce said.
He said they attempted to restrain Husbands but “he quickly turned back behind him and took up a broken glass louvre pane from among other glass panes and cement tiles which were on cement blocks near the door and threw it in our direction and said, ‘. . . my mother wicked and all you all want killing. I gine kill one of wunna today’.”
Boyce said they retreated while Husbands kept throwing the projectiles at them, one of which struck him in the head, and he became afraid for his safety and that of his fellow officer.
As they continued to retreat, the police officer said, Husbands picked up a rock and threw it in their direction and continued to advance towards them shouting threats of ‘wunna wicked and want killing’.
“I drew my service pistol because I was in fear of our [lives] . . . . He picked up a large stone and I said, in a loud tone, ‘put down that rock I am armed’,” Constable Boyce testified.
“I saw him reach back his right hand in which he had a large rock and turn his body to the right as if about to throw the rock. He was about six to eight feet away from me. I stepped to the right to put myself away from his direct line of sight. I believed that I would have been struck by the rock. I [took] my weapon and fired one shot at Husbands. He made a stumbling step forward and the rock dropped from his hand. He continued to stumble forward and fell to the ground.”
Boyce said he was taken for medical treatment as he had injuries to the head and left arm. He said at that time he did not know that Husbands had died.
In her testimony on Wednesday, consultant pathologist Dr Corinthia Dupuis who conducted Husbands’ postmortem said he died as a result of “hemorrhage and respiratory failure . . . due to a gunshot injury to the chest”.
“The trajectory of the bullet was back to front and left to right. It entered the chest cavity at the back . . . . It exited the chest cavity but not the body . . . it remained under the skin,” she told the court.
The Coroner’s Inquest continues on Thursday.
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