By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO police officers accused of killing 20-year-old Deangelo Evans in Mason’s Addition in 2018 have lost their bid to avoid trial, clearing the way for their manslaughter case to proceed in the Supreme Court.

Inspector Akeem Wilson and Detective Corporal Donald Wright appeared before Justice Dale Fitzpatrick, who dismissed their appeal and ruled that the charge against them would stand.

The officers had argued that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Cordell Frazier committed an abuse of process by filing a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI) after indicating in a letter to the commissioner of police in April 2024 that the prosecution would not move forward. They also claimed that Coroner Kara Turnerquest-Deveaux acted outside her authority when they were summoned before her in September 2024 for the VBI.

However, Justice Fitzpatrick found no merit in their arguments. He ruled that although the coroner could not compel the men to attend court, they could appear voluntarily, as Wilson did in January. He said the issuing of a summons was an administrative matter and found no abuse of power in how it was carried out.

The judge also noted that the DPP reversed her decision after reviewing the full coroner’s inquest file, which had not been available when the initial decision to discontinue the case was made.

Justice Fitzpatrick said the defendants failed to prove that they had relied on the DPP’s earlier representation to their detriment or that proceeding with the case would offend the community’s sense of justice. He concluded that there was no abuse of process by the DPP.

The officers’ trial is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2026, with a pretrial hearing set for May 1, 2026.

Evans’ parents, who have attended hearings throughout the inquest and court proceedings, were again present for last week’s decision.

Evans was shot and killed on May 27 2018, after officers responded to reports of an armed robbery in Mason’s Addition. Police said he was armed, but eyewitnesses claimed he was not. In 2023, a Coroner’s Court jury found that Evans’ death was a homicide by manslaughter, one of several such rulings in recent years that prompted the DPP’s office to examine police-involved killings and consider criminal charges against officers.