By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE mother of Deshoan Smith, one of three men shot and killed by police in a 2020 incident, said he was “terrified” of one of the officers involved when he was hospitalised for a separate shooting in 2019.

Linda Williams gave evidence yesterday during the inquest into the deaths of Deshoan “Spider” Smith, 25, Rashad Clarke, 28, and Jared Ford, 27. The men were fatally shot near Spikenard and Cowpen Roads on June 13 2020.

Inspector Alcott Forbes, Corporal Kevin Greenslade Jr, and Police Constable Courtney Hall — the officers involved in the incident — were present in court. A five-member jury is tasked with determining what happened.

Police previously said the men were in a white Honda Accord parked near Spikenard Cemetery. When officers approached, the vehicle allegedly fled and the men reportedly opened fire, prompting officers to return fire.

Ms Williams, the mother of five, said she received a call around 11am on the day of the shooting informing her that her son had been killed.

When she arrived at the scene, she said Cowpen Road was blocked off near Golden Isles Road. Although she identified herself to police, she claimed she was never allowed close to the scene of the shooting.

She alleged that officers were rude, pointed a gun at her and other relatives, and refused to let them through.

According to Ms Williams, an officer she recognised from Facebook confirmed it was her son who had been shot.

She said the only time she saw the vehicle involved was when it was being towed. She described it as riddled with bullets, particularly in the doors and windscreen. She claimed the windows were up when the car passed and that she could see it was “shoot up”.

She said the back window appeared undamaged, though her son had been shot in the back of the head.

Ms Williams said the last time she spoke to her son was the day before the shooting. He had told her he planned to bring his baby to her while he and his girlfriend looked for an apartment. She said he wanted to move out to avoid bringing “problems” to her home.

She said a friend of her son was killed on May 29, 2020, and Smith had been in custody until the Tuesday before the shooting. Though he seemed excited the day before his death, she recalled warning him that she didn’t want to identify him on the street. “I rather visit you in jail than bring flowers to your grave,” she told him.

After identifying her son at the morgue, she said he had a graveside service on June 30 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Ms Williams became emotional as she described her son as playful, jubilant, family-oriented, and the life of the party. She identified a morgue photo of him in court.

Under questioning by Maria Daxon, attorney for the deceased’s estates, Ms Williams said a gunshot wound to the right side of Smith’s face stood out to her. She also said he had what appeared to be two shots to the back of the head, one to the torso, and one to the side of his ribs.

She confirmed her son was in the rear right passenger seat and wearing a monitoring device at the time. While she knew it was related to a 2019 offence, she couldn’t recall the specifics.

Ms Williams said she signed bail for her son twice, as did her husband and Smith’s girlfriend. She acknowledged that he had been in police custody for grievous harm and shooting offences.

She claimed police never informed her of how her son died. When she collected his belongings, she received only his ID. Although he also had a watch and chain, she wasn’t sure if he had them on when he died.

Ms Williams said she knew Insp Forbes and Cpl Greenslade. Insp Forbes, she said, was her neighbour, while Cpl Greenslade’s father was married to a relative. She claimed both would have known her son, noting that Insp Forbes and Smith were close in age and grew up near each other.

She said that after visiting her son in hospital following the 2019 shooting, she saw Insp Forbes on the ward and greeted him. The next day, she said, Smith appeared terrified and jumpy. He reportedly told her he could only rest during visiting hours and asked her to tell the nurse to lock the door afterwards — so “Alcott” couldn’t come in.

She claimed Smith was scared of Insp Forbes but didn’t explain why.

During cross-examination by Mr K Melvin Munroe, the officers’ attorney, Ms Williams said she had known Insp Forbes since primary school. She said he was in plain clothes at the hospital, but she recognised him as a police officer.

She told Evidence Marshal Angelo Whitfield that she didn’t ask Insp Forbes why he was at the hospital, nor did her son say who shot him during his 12-day stay in 2019. However, she said police had visited him for questioning during that time.

Ms Williams said she saw other officers on the ward and continued visiting her son throughout his hospital stay. She confirmed that Smith never saw Insp Forbes on the day she did and that he didn’t want the officer around him.

According to her, Smith once told her, “They want me on a T-shirt,” suggesting he feared someone wanted him dead, though he never said who.

She said that beyond the hospital incident, her son never mentioned any problems with the police. He was occasionally questioned, she said, and worked in roofing.