A San Juan man was killed by police on Tuesday night after he attacked his 90-year-old grandmother with a knife at their Don Miguel Road home.
The deceased, now the 22nd man killed by police for the year, was identified as Damien Downey.
According to police reports, they responded to a report that Downey was brandishing a knife and terrorising his grandmother Marry Ettienne.
Two officers responded and arrived around 8.05 pm but were attacked by Downey who was then shot. One of the officers was slashed on one of his hands.
The injured man and the officers were taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where Downey was pronounced dead on arrival.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian at the scene of the incident, Downey’s uncle, Garth Ettienne, said he called the police after his nephew began acting erratic.
Ettienne described his nephew was a loner. He said Downey was never diagnosed as being mentally ill. He said his nephew spent a week at the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital but the report was inconclusive.
Ettienne since then his nephew never exhibited any symptoms that warranted another visit to the mental institution.
Asked about the police’s use of force, Ettienne said: “It is what they know, it is what they have. I don’t think that it will change any time soon,” adding there was need for better training of police officers to deal with personal attacks.
Ettienne said the police training was not in keeping with 21st Century standards and he was pessimistic that their training will improve anytime soon.
Speaking following the weekly police press briefing yesterday public information officer for the police service, ASP Michael Pierre said the issue of arming police officers with non-lethal weapons needed to be addressed on a legislative level.
He said that he was unaware if any request or suggestions which had been made for the arming of officers with non-lethal weapons.
“Unlike the members of the public who can run away from a situation, once a report is made to the police we must attend to that situation and if upon reaching it is required of us to act we will do so as the police. We will welcome any form of advancement in terms of using force against anyone,” Pierre said.
In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Insp Michael Seales said the issuing of non-lethal weapons does not need legislative intervention. Seales is one of the many voices that called for the implementing of non-lethal weapons for officers.
Recently, public outrage was sparked after four mentally ill patients were killed by police officers in separate incidents.
In March, mentally ill patient, Paul Marchan, 30, was shot and killed after he reportedly attacked a family member and tried to stab two police officers at Richplain, Diego Martin.
In April 1, Raymond Joseph, 51, of Mahaica Road, Point Fortin, was shot after he allegedly attempted to grab the gun of a municipal police officer who had assisted in taking him to the Area Hospital. Relatives of Joseph, a retired soldier, had sought the police’s help to take him to the hospital for treatment.
Also, in May, mentally ill patient Miguel Rodriguez, 24, was fatally shot by an off-duty police officer during an altercation near a bar in Moruga. And in June, Daniel Paul was killed by police who responded to a report that he had been throwing bottles at a car in Ste Madeleine.