The kitchen window where Sharida Ali was struck in the head by a stray bullet.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad--The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) has launched an investigation into the death of a mother of two who was killed in a police-involved shooting in Beetham Gardens on Saturday evening.
PCA Director David West announced the probe as relatives and friends of 36-year-old Sharida Ali called for justice for her and her two daughters ages 14 and nine.
Ali, a janitor at Trincity Mall, and her sister Ayesha went to visit a long-time friend and co-worker at Nineteenth Street, Beetham Gardens, after finishing work. Around 6:00pm, Ali had just finished having a meal when she went to the kitchen for ice to add to her drink.
A bullet entered through the kitchen window and struck Ali in her head. Her sister rushed to her assistance but she died instantly.
According to police reports, the shooting occurred as police officers were attempting to apprehend a group of men, who had reportedly stolen a Nissan Note shortly before. The 71-year-old owner of the vehicle was plying his car for hire in Bon Air Gardens when he was attacked by two men who were pretending to be passengers. The men, who were armed with a knife, threatened the driver before pushing him out of the vehicle and driving away.
Police officers responding to the robbery report chased after the vehicle, which was eventually driven west along the shoulder of the eastbound lane of the Beetham Highway. Footage of the high-speed chase before the shooting, captured by passing motorists, was posted on social media.
The vehicle reportedly crashed near the house where Ali was. The suspects abandoned the vehicle and ran towards the Priority Bus Route (PBR). Police claimed one of the men drew a firearm and shot at the officers, who returned fire. The suspects managed to escape and have not been apprehended.
In a press release, West noted that the PCA had received preliminary reports about the shooting.
“The PCA has begun its investigation into the incident in which a civilian, Sharida Ali, was killed during an exchange of gunfire between suspects and the police,” he said.
“We cannot say at this stage whose bullet killed Ali,” he added, as he noted that the PCA’s investigators will await the autopsy results to make a determination.
He also expressed hope that there is video footage of the incident that could be reviewed.
“We are hoping that the police officers involved were wearing body-worn cameras so the PCA would be able to acquire video footage of the incident,” he said.
West also called on witnesses to come forward to assist in the probe.
When a news team from Guardian Media visited the scene of the shooting, eyewitnesses denied claims of a shoot-out between the suspects and police.
“The police were far away from the car. When they pulled up there the men [were – Ed.] already gone. [There was] nobody [there] and they just jump out shooting like mad people just to prove a point,” a woman said.
She also claimed that one of the officers recognised that one of the bullets he discharged hit Ali.
“He [started] to scratch [his] head like he [was] going crazy,” she said.
She claimed he was berated by his colleagues, who then turned their attention to her and other residents, who were left frenzied by what transpired.
“They [started] to cuss everybody in the house and threatened to shoot them. They [picked her] up, [dragged] her outside and [flung her] in the van like a criminal. Everyone was bawling and screaming,” she said.
She said residents are still traumatised.
“It was a shocking thing. People [are afraid] to sleep in their own house. They [are] frightened,” she said.
Another resident suggested that the officers were negligent in opening fire in the heavily populated community.
“They can’t be shooting wild [like that] when they know children [might be] in the road. Anyone could have [gotten hit],” he said.
He also maintained that he did not see the suspects carrying a gun while seeking to evade the officers.
“It was only the police doing the shooting as far as I [saw],” he said.
During a visit to Ali’s family home located along the PBR in St. Joseph, her sister Ayesha found it difficult to recount what she had witnessed hours before. She described her sister as nice and loving.
“She liked to eat. She was cooking and [just finished eating] when it happened. She always liked to eat,” she said.
She expressed anger and disappointment at how she and residents were treated by the police in the aftermath of the shooting.
“When I was helping carry out my sister’s body, two of the officers slapped away my hands. They just [took] my sister and [threw her] in a van,” she said.
She said her nieces, who were now being taken care of by their father, are still coming to terms with their mother’s death.
“The small one saying that [her mother is] in the hospital and coming back now,” she said, as she fought unsuccessfully to remain stoic.
Ali’s younger sister, Reena Kissoo, said the callous treatment by the police continued when they went to the hospital to check up on her.
“Nobody had spoken to me to tell me anything, and they knew I was a relative,” Kissoon said.
Kissoon said that she and her relatives are demanding justice for Ali’s death.
“She did not deserve to die over police wild gunshots. We [are] not leaving this so. I would fight to the last for justice for my sister. She [has] two children. We need justice for her children, not for us,” Kissoon said, noting that her sister was the breadwinner in her home. ~ Trinidad and Tobago Guardian ~
