SASCHA WILSON
A Cedros fisherman reportedly was killed by the police at his home, this morning.
He has been identified as 38-year-old Kern Richards (also known as “Cava”) of Icacos Village.
The shooting is said to have taken place around 5 am today, Friday 9 April 2021. Richards reportedly was shot several times and taken to the Point Fortin hospital by the police, where attempts were made to resuscitate him.
In a video on social media, a policewoman is seen pushing a crying woman away from his body in the tray of a van. Another video shows the same woman crying over his body on a stretcher at the hospital after failed attempts to resuscitate him. She is seen to be kissing and caressing him while weeping over his body. Another female relative is seen gently touching his face as she cried.
In another video which shows the blood on the ground at Richards’ home, a woman is seen shouting at the police, asking who shot Richards.
“Ten shots, four police against one man with he gyal. Who kill him?” the woman is heard saying in the video.
When contacted, Senior Superintendent Brandon John said he was yet to obtain details of the shooting incident.
However, a villager told Guardian Media that Richards was killed in cold blood.
The villager said police officers who are not attached to the South Western Division reportedly went to Richards’ home and took him to the back of the house where they shot him. Demanding justice, the villager said the community was upset over the incident. He also said Richards did not have a police record.