By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE widow of Emmanuel Brown, who was gunned down on Seventh Street in 2022, told a Supreme Court jury yesterday that her husband had been living in fear for his life but never revealed who he was afraid of.

Testifying before Justice Jeannine Weech-Gomez in the trial of Donte “Drey” Deveaux, 28, Cherrelyn Joseph-Brown said her husband confided that he “had issues” and believed people were out to get him, though he never said who they were. She later identified his body at Princess Margaret Hospital’s morgue on May 4 2022.

Prosecutors allege that Deveaux shot and killed 34-year-old Emmanuel “Manny” Brown and tried to kill Samuel “Fish” Joseph during a shooting at Seventh Street, Coconut Grove, on the night of May 2, 2022.

Reserve Inspector Kirkland Sands, one of the first officers on the scene, said he found a crowd gathered near a car wash and followed a trail of blood to a man lying face up on the ground. He said the victim was bleeding heavily, breathing fast, and in pretty bad shape.

Inspector Sands said Brown identified himself and told him that he and Joseph had been shot by a man he knew as “Drey” while they were talking. Brown pleaded, “don’t let me die,” before losing consciousness, Insp Sands said.

The officer said he then heard another man calling for help from the southern end of the property and found Mr Joseph suffering from gunshot wounds to the face, throat, and head. Mr Joseph was holding part of his jaw in his hand, choking on blood, and struggling to speak. Insp Sands said Mr Joseph confirmed that the same man had shot them multiple times.

He said he called for two ambulances, but by the time emergency personnel arrived, Brown had died at the scene.

Under cross-examination by defence attorney K Melvin Munroe, Insp Sands said he knew both victims “professionally” and that Brown “was on the wrong side of the law.” He said he recognised both men by their street names.

Mr Munroe questioned alleged inconsistencies in the officer’s testimony, including his description of the defendant’s clothing and the scene layout. Insp Sands maintained that Mr Joseph had been lying to the south of the car wash and insisted his account was accurate.

When the defence suggested he had not spoken to Brown because Brown was already dead when he arrived, Insp Sands pushed back firmly, saying he knew what he saw that night and that the defence attorney wasn’t there.Calnan Kelly, Tenielle Bain and Timothy Bailey were the prosecutors.