BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has once again been brought into disrepute as one of its members is accused of shooting two innocent individuals last evening (Nov. 1) in the McKnight area.
Labour Officer and Registration Officer for Constituency Number Two, Jeneve Mills has levelled charges against a police officer for shooting indiscriminately and injuring his brother and a juvenile in the process.
According to a police communiqué, the Violent Crimes Unit is investigating a police-related shooting that occurred at about 8:50 p.m. yesterday (Nov. 1) in the McKnight area.
It also stated that the incident occurred while police were in the process of apprehending Craig ‘Jumbies’ Halliday of Upper Thibou Avenue for carrying an illegal firearm.
“During the arrest in an alley that connects Upper Thibou and Upper Shaw Avenues, in McKnight, two persons who were accompanying Craig Halliday, a juvenile male and Akeem Chumney of Fort Thomas Road, received gunshot wounds.
“They were transported to the JNF "General" Hospital by the Emergency Medical Services. The juvenile sustained injuries to both ankles, and Chumney, his left ankle,” the communiqué read.
It further stated that Chumney and the juvenile were treated and detained at the Surgical Ward while Halliday was taken into custody for illegal possession of one Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol with 13 rounds of ammunition.
In an exclusive interview with this publication, Mills said that his brother, Akeem Chumney, is currently at home nursing gunshot wounds to both of his feet and he would be seeking justice against the officer who perpetrated the act.
He also said that information contained in the police communiqué pertaining to his brother’s injuries and where he is recuperating are incorrect.
Recounting what transpired, Mills said: “I was asleep when the incident occurred yesterday, but all the information I was able to get was gathered this morning. My brother said to me that there was a children’s party in Thibou Avenue and he was among a number of people sitting in an alley close to a pink building. And while there, some people who were outside of the party said that a vehicle with its lights off was coming up Thibou Avenue.”
Mills continued: “When the vehicle reached by the vicinity where my brother was sitting, an individual was seen coming down the alley from the direction of Dr. Jeffers; that is from west to east going towards Thibou Avenue.
“As the individual got closer, he fired his pistol and a bullet struck my brother on his right foot, just above the ankle. It passed through and entered the other foot from where it exited and struck another individual who was in the area with my brother.”
The Labour Officer is questioning the police’s reason for shooting in an area where there was a children’s party, noting that it clearly shows a lack of professionalism and total disrespect for the residents of McKnight and disregard for their lives.
He claimed that after shooting his brother and the juvenile, the officer did not stop to see who was injured and headed for the police vehicle that was parked above the alley.
“After shooting my brother and the other fellow, the individual walked past them and headed to the police vehicle. No searches were done before or after the shooting. And as the police officers were about to leave the scene, my brother approached one of them (name provided), who was in the bus with four other officers, and told him that he was just shot by a police officer and needed to go the hospital. It was only them that they summoned the ambulance.”
He pointed out that prior to or after the shooting incident, no one in that vicinity was searched by the police, and that no Crime Scene Technician was at the scene to pick up any spent shell or to conduct an investigation.
Mills also informed SKNVibes that he had visited the Basseterre Police Station, where he waited for approximately two hours before meeting with the Acting Commissioner to lodge a complaint.
This is not the first time Chumney had brushes with the law. However, Mills claimed that his brother had turned a new page in life and that he (Mills) had vowed to honour his mother’s request, while on her dying bed, to look out for his two brothers and sister in St. Kitts and to ensure “Akeem walks the straight and narrow road”.
The former Youth Ambassador said that since then, Chumney was not in violation of any law but was shot by an unknown assailant in the vicinity of The Circus at about 11:45 p.m. on Friday, July 3, 2015.
Mills insinuated that some members of the Police Force might not have been appreciative of the change in his brother’s lifestyle and had set out to cause mischief in early August.
“After the shooting incident and while recuperating from his injuries at home, my brother called me one morning in August and said that he heard from a friend that the police were looking for him. So I asked him if that information could be substantiated and he told me that three persons had complained that police officers had broken down their doors asking for Akeem Chumney.
“We then went together to the Basseterre Police Station to find out if he was wanted and for what reason. I first checked with an officer at the front desk and was told that there was no warrant for his arrest. Woman Inspector Isles was in the station at the time and I asked her to find out if they were looking for my brother.
“The Inspector made calls to all the Divisional Heads in St. Kitts, including the Acting Commissioner. She told me that no one was looking for him and, in response, I said we were there to clarify the issue because I didn’t want any trouble or my brother to be harmed in any way.”
Mills has accused the police of “continuous brutality in their execution of their duty. They are mandated to serve and protect, not to be using unjustifiable deadly force”.
The police have indicated that the Office of Professional Standards would be commissioned to launch an investigation into this incident.
