By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net

AN officer testified yesterday that a man shot and killed by police in Fox Hill in 2018 was a psychiatric patient at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, as an inquest into his death began.

Superintendent Keino Demeritte gave evidence before Coroner Kara Turnquest Deveaux about his role as the investigator into the police-involved shooting of 43-year-old Jermaine Desmond Minnis, which occurred around 1.40pm on November 15, 2018.

Minnis was reportedly shot by Assistant Superintendent of Police Darrington Sands, the subject of the inquest, after he allegedly charged at him with a cutlass in the Fox Hill area.

Details of the incident were not released to the media until the following day. Police confirmed Minnis’s death only after a reporter inquired about his condition.

Superintendent Demeritte read the witness statement of Bradley Knowles, who said he saw the deceased, known to him as “Bookie”, swinging a cutlass at a vehicle in the area. Mr Knowles said two officers approached calmly and tried to de-escalate the situation, but Minnis remained aggressive. He said he then heard three shots and told police that if the officer had not fired, the assault would have continued.

Superintendent Demeritte also read from a Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre report dated December 11, 2018, which said that Minnis was a psychiatric patient who had visited the facility in 1988 and again for one day on May 23, 2006. However, he noted that no active file for Minnis was found in Sandilands’ system.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Kellison Taylor, from the Police Armoury, testified that officers are trained to use deadly force only as a last resort and have the right to do so to preserve life.

He said a report classified the incident as an assault with a deadly weapon.

When questioned by K Melvin Munroe, the officer’s attorney, ASP Taylor said an officer’s primary duty is to preserve life, even if that means prioritising it over the mental state of a threatening individual.

He added that the number of shots fired in such situations can vary depending on the threat.

Angelo Whitfield marshalled the evidence.