More Police Discrepancies

The inquest into the extra-judicial killing of Jerome Mackey resumed yesterday for the first time since the new year began. Constable Ricardo Neely of the mobile patrol unit testified that Mr. Mackey did indeed have a gun the night of December 6, 2002, when he was shot and killed following a confrontation with police officers. The killing sparked a riot involving hundreds of residents of the Kemp Road area, in which several police officers were injured and several government vehicles were damaged.

The problem is that Officer Neely's testimony contradicts witness testimony and even his own his written report filed back in 2002. Neely now claims he had a flashlight, saw Mr. Mackey pull a gun from his waistband, warned his partner that Mr. Mackey was armed and fired a warning shot into the air.

Coroner William Campbell highlighted the fact that in his initial report, Mr. Neely had made no mention of using a flashlight, shouting to his partner that Mackey was in possession of a gun, ejecting a live round of ammunition at the scene, or hearing the deceased speak before he died.

Neely dismissed the discrepancies saying he was under stress at the time he filed his original report and was not "in the right state of mind."

Officer Neely has yet to undergo questioning by the attorney representing the Mackey family.