By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE parents of Deron Okoye Wilkinson wept in court on Friday as a jury found that his death in a 2018 police-involved shooting was a case of homicide by manslaughter.

The officer involved, Police Constable 3620 Lee Dormeus, has previously been linked to two other fatal police shootings. He was interdicted in 2021 after being accused of murdering Danrico Carey, and in 2023, a Coroner’s Court jury returned an open verdict in the 2017 death of Ronald Mackey, citing insufficient evidence to determine whether the shooting was justified. It is unclear whether he is currently active on the police force.

Wilkinson, 27, was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop on March 19, 2018. Officers claimed he pulled a weapon on them, but his family has long maintained he was unarmed and waving his phone when he was shot.

Moments after the shooting, Wilkinson’s vehicle sped downhill along Beaumontia Avenue, crashing through a wooden barricade before coming to a stop at the median on Independence Drive near the Teacher’s Credit Union.

He was found slumped in the reclined front seat of his blue Nissan Skyline, blood smeared across the interior. A gun was photographed near his left hand, touching his fingers, while his phone was seen near his lap.

PC Dormeus was not present for the five-day inquest, though Wilkinson’s parents appeared in court throughout.

The five-member jury returned its decision after just 30 minutes of deliberation.

Attorney Maria Daxon, representing Wilkinson’s estate, said she intends to file a civil suit against Dormeus.

While Coroner’s Court inquests do not determine criminal liability, the jury’s adverse finding now triggers a review by Director of Public Prosecutions Cordell Frazier, who must decide whether criminal charges should be filed against the officer.

This is the first adverse finding against police in 2024.

In Wilkinson’s inquest, held before Coroner Kara Turnquest-Deveaux, inconsistencies emerged between testimonies from law enforcement and emergency personnel.

Emergency medical technician Charnessa Major and lead investigator Superintendent Nathaniel Gilbert gave differing accounts of the scene, including whether Wilkinson’s seat was reclined and if the firearm was moved before police arrived.

Ms Major testified that she never touched the gun while treating Wilkinson, contradicting an earlier officer’s claim that EMS personnel had shifted the weapon to administer aid. She also denied adjusting the seat, despite another officer’s statement attributing the recline to EMTs.

Superintendent Gilbert said no surveillance footage of the shooting was recovered, and no witnesses were found. He described arriving at the scene to find the Nissan Skyline on the median, its right-side doors open.

Wilkinson was slumped in the driver’s seat, dressed in a red shirt and black sweatpants. A firearm was located near his left thigh, he said.

This account conflicted with testimony from Sergeant Deandra Forbes, Dormeus’s partner, who said the gun was on Wilkinson’s lap when the vehicle stopped. She testified that the officers initially stopped the car for dark window tints. When Wilkinson failed to exit the vehicle, she said PC Dormeus approached, shouted “gun,” and fired a single shot to Wilkinson’s head.

Pathologist Dr Caryn Sands testified that Wilkinson died from a gunshot wound just above his left ear. She recovered a single deformed bullet from the right side of his skull.

Valerie Wilkinson, the victim’s mother, described her son as quiet and studious, a former honour roll student at Faith Way Academy and CV Bethel. She said he had no mental or physical health issues and worked at Island Wholesale. While she did not know he was married at the time, she recalled him mentioning days earlier that he was staying with his girlfriend.

Mrs Wilkinson broke down in court after being shown a graphic image of her son’s bloodied face.

“That was my son,” she cried.

She testified that she identified his body at the morgue and buried him on June 23, 2018, at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Detective Constable Domeko Bell, who testified just before the jury’s decision, revealed that Wilkinson’s fingerprints were not found on the gun recovered from the vehicle.

Angelo Whitfield served as evidence marshal during the Wilkinson inquest.

Following the jury’s manslaughter finding, the coroner is required under Section 34A of the Coroner’s Act 2011 to issue a warrant for the officer’s arrest. However, it will be up to the Director of Public Prosecutions to review the evidence and decide whether to pursue criminal charges.