By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said the family of Azario Major, a man police killed in 2021, should seek to prevail in the Coroner’s Court, not the “court of public opinion” where the disclosure of evidence could contaminate the potential jury pool.  

Azario’s family has maintained their conviction that he was unlawfully killed, despite police claiming otherwise.

 On April 14, a video of the killing incident that was narrated by a YouTube personality was released on Facebook. It has been shared more than 12k times and received more than 18k reactions. The video plunged the matter back into the forefront of the public consciousness, sparking shock, widespread criticism of the police and calls for the Major family to receive justice.

 Asked about the video yesterday, Mr Munroe said: “If you don’t agree with what a policeman says was his reason for killing somebody, it’s going to a coroner’s inquest, you’re going to have your day in court. If you seek to poison the well of potential jurors, your outcome may be preventing you the very justice that you claim to be seeking.”  

 Early in the video, Azario appears to converse with the officer who would later shoot him. As the video progresses, people outside a bar grow visibly tense and animated, including Azario and reportedly multiple officers.

 Eventually, officers surround Azario’s car before he was killed.

 Mr Munroe said the wide circulation of the video could cause a jury to not be impartial.

 He said: “Okay, so at every case, you have two sides of a story. Justice is to let the court decide it, right? Are they letting a court decide it?  Are they wanting a court to decide it?”

 “The video has been circulated many times. The matter was set for Coroner’s inquest, which involves a jury. The likelihood of you seating a jury now who hasn’t seen the video at all (with) that narration is low.

“So, what they may well have accomplished is that they may have accomplished that case not being able to be tried in the near future because they chose to try it in the court of public opinion. The law is very simple, justice is that you are to be judged by an impartial jury, an impartial jury means the jury is not affected by any external matters.”

 The case is expected before the Coroner’s Court next month.

 Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said yesterday police would not relaunch investigations following the video’s release.  

 “Yes, I saw the video, I don’t know what they’re saying that happened … The facts will be revealed, and I’m not going to get into that.”

 “We are not relaunching any investigation. The investigation has been completed and it’s before the court now. How the video got out? I don’t know, but that matter is before the court and I don’t wish to expand on that.”

 The family of Azario said they have spent over $40,000 investigating the shooting death.