BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Police Officer of Nevis Division, who was slapped with two charges for allegedly shooting Steadroy ‘Seamoss’ Sutton on Pinney’s Beach, was suspended from the Royal St. Christopher Police Force.
Members of the media were told of this development today (Oct. 19) during a press conference held at the Charlestown Police Station by the High Command and Head of the Nevis Division, Superintendent Hilroy Brandy.
The press conference was specifically based on Philo Wallace of Hamilton Village who was shot and killed by an off-duty Police Officer on Saturday morning (Oct. 17), but media practitioners used the opportunity to question the Senior Officers on the shooting of the security guard.
On Thursday (Oct. 1), Acting Commissioner of Police Stafford Liburd had told the media that the officer was charged with disciplinary offences, but not criminally.
At today’s press conference, one media representative made reference to the charges and sought the definition of a criminal charge, which was answered by Ian Queeley, the Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for Crime.
“Matters that are criminal are triable before a court. Matters that are discipline are triable by the trial officers within the organisation who are assigned as Trial Officers. So, criminal charges can and will be laid against somebody if they appearing before a magistrate or in the High Court or whoever, and the standard...is different in both instances. And as it relates to disciplinary, the Police Force is a disciplined body and any action contrary to discipline can receive internal sanctions.”
In an effort to have a clearer picture of what Queeley meant, the media representative asked: “That means that whatever offence an officer commits will it be treated as a disciplinary offence?”
In response, the ACP said, “You heard me said earlier that there are two parallel investigations that are being conducted; one by the Office of Professional Standards and one by the Violent Crimes Unit. If the investigation reveals criminality, that particular file would be sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will advise further. As it relates to the discipline, once that investigation is completed and breaches of discipline are identified, then those persons are charged disciplinary and brought before a Trial Officer within the organisation.”
Acting Commissioner Liburd declared that as a result of an investigation conducted by the Office of Professional Standards, the officer was on disciplinary charges, suspended from the Force and would be in receipt of half his salary on a monthly basis.
Questioned on who would determine that the officer be charged criminally if found responsible for the alleged offence, Liburd said: “I do not want the public to think that a disciplinary charge ends at a particular investigation on the criminal side. The Office of Professional Standards, they will do certain recommendation, and they only recommend. It would be reviewed by a Senior Officer, who will not be the Trial Officer, and give certain directives. As a result of that, a certain course of action will be taken.”
“In terms of the criminal,” he added, “that will have to be investigated by the Violent Crimes Unit and that will go through the hands of the Senior Officer and eventually reaches the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. So the call for that is not just an individual making it.”
The Acting Commissioner explained that the process may take one day, one week or more before the case file could reach the Office of the DPP.
In the wee hours of Saturday (Sept. 19), 55-year-old Steadroy ‘Seamoss’ Sutton, who is employed at the Turtle Times Restaurant on Pinney’s Beach as a security guard, was reportedly shot twice while carrying out his security duties. He had sustained gunshot wounds to his groin and lower back.
Speaking with the victim on the day after the incident, the St. Kitts-Nevis Observer reported that at about 2:00 a.m. on the day in question, Sutton claimed that while on duty clad in his security uniform, he had observed a person walking from the direction of Sunshine Bar and Restaurant towards the Turtle Times Restaurant and started urinating in the yard of the establishment.
The media house further reported that Sutton had walked towards the restaurant in order to call the police when the person opened fire in his direction, hitting him once.
“I walked up the building to take up my book to call an officer to report the guy. The person found me right at the building and said he wanted to make the call himself. He then took off the gun and shot me,” the guard recounted to the Observer’s reporter.
Sutton also reportedly told the reporter that after the first shot, he jumped on the person but e released his hold on him after realising the wound was bleeding.
“I went back and as I turned around, he shot me in the back. I ran to the bandstand and interrupted the vocalist," adding that the vocalist called the police and on the arrival of an officer he was taken to the hospital at 3:00 a.m.
