Family contemplating legal action against Constabulary

City Constabulary shooting

…PME confirms death as a result of gunshot injury

Family members of the late 34-year-old Marlon Fredericks, who was fatally shot by a City Constabulary Lance Corporal on Sunday, have said they are contemplating legal action against the Constabulary now that a post-mortem examination has confirmed that their loved one died as a result of the gunshot injury.
Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh conducted the autopsy and concluded that Fredericks’s death was because of complications to the lower back due to a gunshot wound.

Fredericks, of Georgetown’s Tiger Bay area, was wanted by the City Constabulary for a number of simple larceny transgressions, and was apprehended at Robb and King streets, Georgetown on Saturday. However, during his apprehension, a Joint Services’ rank and the City Police brutally assaulted the man, kicking him several times to his head and stomach while he lay defenseless on the floor.
Because of the beating Fredericks had received, he was treated and detained at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for observation, but was later released into the custody of the City Constabulary. While at that entity’s Bourda Outpost on Sunday, he attempted to flee custody and was shot as a result.
However, many eyewitnesses to that incident claim his death could have been avoided, since he was in a weakened state and could not have run away, hence apprehending him was an easy task for the Lance Corporal. They have since called for a full investigation into the alleged murder, noting that the Lance Corporal had made no effort to apprehend the man, and had just shot at him.
Meanwhile, the dead man’s mother — Claudette Fredericks — has said her son had been a drug addict who had relapsed twice following stints at a rehabilitation facility. She said that seeing her son being brutally beaten while surrendering to the Police has been one of the most traumatising moments of her life.
“He always complained about the Police wrong him and so on. Yes, he was trying to escape when they shot at him, but he wasn’t running because he couldn’t. His head was heavily bandaged and he was actually weak and stumbling, and the Lance Corporal was less than 8ft away from him when he shot him in the back. It is murder,” the grieving woman lamented.
She said that because of the beating, her son had not eaten since he was taken into custody, and family members feel his death could have been avoided.
“If the Lance Corporal was a bit more professional and (had) tried to do his duties, the result would have been different. I am not saying that my son was not trying to get away, but when you have a man who feels like he was wronged and (is) in a weakened state, then be more cautious,” the woman admonished.
“If he (Lance Corporal) felt the need to use excessive force, then he could have at least tried to shoot on the lower body, like the leg or something; not the upper body,” the grieving mother further related.
The Lance Corporal has since been taken into custody, with his service weapon and 8 live rounds. (Lakhram Bhagirat)