CONSTABLE Everton Roberts, of the Crime Management Unit (CMU), told yesterday’s sitting of the coroner’s inquest hearing the fatal shooting of seven youth by the police in Braeton last March that the first round of gunshots he heard sounded like they were coming from handguns.

Roberts testified that about two to three minutes after the police reached Braeton Phase Three, parked and went down the pathway, he heard gunshots from the direction of the pathway. Roberts, who was driving a Mitsubishi Pajero, in which there was a handcuffed youth, said he was instructed to stay in the vehicle and guard the youth.

He said that about two to three minutes after the police went down the Fifth Seal Way, shortly before 5:00 am, he heard gunshots. But he said that he could not see what was happening as his view was blocked by houses.

“I heard between four and five gunshots sounding like handguns, then I heard heavy gunfire coming from M16 rifles lasting about one minute. A short time after I heard four to five more gunshots sounding like hand guns lasting 30 to 40 seconds, then I heard heavy gunfire again,” Roberts testified.

He said that the duration of the entire shooting was 10 to 15 minutes.

Under cross examination Roberts, in response to a question from attorney Hugh Thompson representing the estate of Christopher Grant, one of the seven youth killed, said that he heard three sets of gunshots on March 14.

The police constable said that the third set of gunfire he heard was coming from both hand guns and M16 rifles. “I heard light heavy, light then everything seemed to be in one.”

During the evidence in chief led by Janet Scotland, assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Roberts testified that at 3:30 am March 14, 2001, a number of police officers from the CMU, led by Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams and others from the North St Catherine Division, led then by Superintendent Harry Daley, met at the Duhaney Park police station.

He said that Daley who briefed them, said that he had warrants for the arrest of two men suspected of murder and shooting with intent, committed at the Above Rocks Police Station, in St Catherine.

The convoy of police vehicles proceeded to premises at Cassava Piece, off the Constant Spring Road, Kingston. Shortly after 4:00 am, Roberts testified that he and other policemen went into a yard at Cassava Piece. He said that he remained in the yard while other policemen, knocked on a door and shouted “police”! When the door opened they entered the house where they remained for about 10 minutes. The policemen came out of the house with two youth, one of whom was handcuffed with his hands behind him.

Roberts said that the handcuffed youth was placed at the extreme back of the Pajero he was driving and after another briefing the party drove to a house in West Cumberland, Portmore.

When the convoy of vehicles reached the house at about 4:30, he said that remained in the vehicle. “A short while after I saw them coming out with a man,” he said. He said that after the man was placed in a car, the party drove to Braeton Phase Three.

Roberts testified that when he got to Braeton and was parking the vehicle he saw Adams and other policemen entering Fifth Seal Way. He said that at about a half an hour after the shooting stopped, Adams and some other police returned to the parking lot where the vehicles were parked. Adams instructed three policemen to reverse their vehicles and get seven injured men at 1088 Fifth Seal Way.

Roberts told the inquest that he left two other policemen guarding the handcuffed youth and walked down the pathway to see what was happening and in about two minutes he returned to his vehicle.

About 10 minutes later, he said that he was told by a Sergeant Davis that Adams wanted him to escort the three vehicles with the injured men to the Spanish Town hospital and take the handcuffed youth to the Spanish Town Police Station, which he did.

He is expected to continue his testimony today.