Dear Editor,
The three Policemen charged with the murder of Quindon Bacchus have been railroaded by the mob from Golden Grove and the weak acquiescence of the Police Complaints Authority. I can find no other explanation for a recommendation of a charge of Murder One, given the facts.
Quindon Bacchus was the target of an undercover operation to catch those selling illegal guns. Bacchus got into the car with the undercover officers to go to collect the gun.
Once in Haslington, Bacchus called an associate, who brought the gun to the car on a bicycle. It was this friend who then passed the gun to Bacchus, but also told him that he recognised one of the undercover operatives and identified him as a Policeman.
Quindon Bacchus jumped out of the vehicle, and Officer DeNobrega pursued, shots were exchanged and Bacchus was hit and died.
Justice William Ramlall (Retd) based the recommendation to charge Officer DeNobrega on the fact that the Byrco 59 pistol was not working when there was an attempted ballistics test. Bryco Arms went out of business after losing the famous ‘Saturday night special’ lawsuit in 2015 that proved the guns had design flaws and were poorly made; a Bryco 59 retailed for US$57 at the height of production.
It is quite conceivable that Bacchus shot at the Police, or the gun went off by accident (as they were proven to do). Whatever the situation, the officer knew Bacchus was in possession and he heard a shot, this/these bullet/s could also have been fired by Bacchus’s bike-riding associate, all of this is in the heart of an operation going ‘south’ quickly.
Editor, if we continue to abandon/railroad our law enforcement officers every time there is mob action, we will quickly descend into chaos. I am certain that all of those who were quick to condemn the lack of action by the Police in preventing the looting and destruction in Mon Repos would be baying for blood had the Police taken any action that harmed members of the Golden Grove Mob.
Where, too, does this leave the members of the public who do not belong to mobs? Who can we turn to for protection? Maybe we should try to find Quindon’s associate and get in on those ‘Saturday Night Special’ deals? Justice must be for all, not those willing to be the most violent.
Respectfully,
Robin Singh
