By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

SENIOR officials have insisted law enforcement did all in its power in the days leading up to the murder of 21-year-old Heavenly Terveuus by her boyfriend and father of her child, Fenron Ferguson.

According to National Security Minister Wayne Munroe yesterday, on January 16 a patrol car was dispatched to the Miami Street home where Heavenly lived with her mother in response to a complaint of damage to a vehicle by Ferguson.

However, when police arrived, Ferguson was long gone and Heavenly declined to make a formal complaint against him at a nearby station despite the urging of a friend who was there at the time, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle further revealed.

At one point, officers even spoke to Ferguson to try to have him return so that he could be arrested. But aware that police were searching for him, Ferguson evaded authorities and was never caught. He was on bail after he shot at Heavenly’s older sister and another person last year.

Mr Munroe said had his prior trouble with the law and bail status been disclosed to officers that day, there would have been a different response.

People who knew the young mother said she was tormented by Ferguson and lived in fear in the final days before her death.

On both the Monday and Tuesday before her death a neighbour disclosed that Heavenly was the victim of hostility and confrontation from Ferguson. Days later, he murdered her before turning the gun on himself in front of their one-month-old son.

While he was taken to hospital in critical condition following the incident, Ferguson died of his self-inflicted injuries on Monday at around 7pm.

Heavenly’s loved ones believe the police did not take the matter seriously. They believe if they had, the photographer might have been alive today.

Commissioner Rolle insisted matters of this sort are taken seriously and each one is investigated on its own merit.

He said: “We dispatched a team of officers there. They spoke with the young lady and she declined to make an official complaint. So, we got a complaint, we went there. There were no visible injuries. The law, if you are familiar with the provisions of the Protective Order Act, it gives the police certain mandates where certain circumstances exist—they did not exist.

“She declined to make an official complaint, but because this individual was on bail and this complaint was lodged, I had the officers still go to try and find him to take him into custody and so that we could try to have his bail revoked.

“But he was quite aware that the police were searching for him because officers even spoke to him and tried to get him to come in. He was still able to evade the officers and get back to that place and regrettably cause ultimate death to this young lady.

“I do want to extend condolences to the family and assure the family that, you know, that it is regrettable that this has happened, but we take these matters seriously and each and every one of these are investigated on its own merit.”

Mr Rolle continued: “You see if the persons were together living in the same place that would be different. Remember the officers did everything that the law permits and if the individual does not follow through to make a complaint. A friend of hers was there trying to encourage her to make the complaint and she declined.”

He said the police cannot force a person to make a complaint.

“We cannot force an individual to make a complaint and this is why I have said over and over and repeatedly that someone said once - the fella hit you once leave, what you going back for?

“I have also made an appeal and I want to again make that appeal to family members, if you know that your loved ones, you know that your friends have firearms, illegal firearms ask them to turn it over.

“If you (are) in a relationship with an individual and you know the fella got a gun, tell him ‘I don’t feel good with you having a gun’ before he get angry with you one day and he turns the gun on you.”

Mr Munroe also told reporters yesterday outside Cabinet that Heavenly also tried to get Ferguson to return to be arrested.

Asked why this was the case, he said patrol officers were not investigators.

“They make arrests. They respond to actual things that are happening. So, if they meet you there, they arrest you. They take you to the station. The matter is given a case number, the investigation begins,” Mr Munroe said.

“What we do not see in the system is indication from her for instance that ‘he shot at my sister, he is on bail’ which she would have been aware of. Had they known that that would have triggered a different response.”

He was also asked if he was of the view that more could have been done in this situation.

Mr Munroe said it is always different in hindsight, but manpower constraints do not allow for more.

“Hindsight is 20/20. If you looked at it in hindsight add those components to what you told the police would trigger a different response.

“…The police can always do more. If we had maybe 1,700 to 2,000 more policemen once the complaint is assigned, then the police can go and look for the complainant. Generally, people are directed to go to the nearest police station which was the Grove Police Station and make a complaint.

“Our manpower restraints doesn’t permit the police with all the responses to go looking for you and so we do require some cooperation from the public and the clearest cooperation is if you tell us everything then we will have all the information to respond,” Mr Munroe said.