SOME of the policemen who took part in the March 2001 Braeton operation in which seven young men were killed in an alleged shoot-out, showed signs of stress at a debriefing session, Senior Superintendent of Police Reneto Adams said on Monday.

Adams, who heads the controversial Crime Management Unit (CMU) that figured prominently in the incident, was being re-examined by attorney Oswest Senior-Smith, who is representing the police, and was giving his final day of testimony to the coroners inquest into the shootings.

When Senior-Smith asked Adams to describe the condition of the policemen after the March 14 incident at 1088 Fifth Seal Way, Adams replied: “Some appeared frightened, shocked. Some expressed wonderment at being still alive.”

The police have maintained that they traded bullets with the seven youngsters in the house. But the victims’ relatives and neighbours say that that is not true. The young men, they say, were killed in cold blood.

Attorneys appearing for the estates of the deceased have also questioned Adams’ claim of seeing or reading warrants of search and arrest.

But the CMU head said that it was not in all cases that the police must have such warrants. Adams had testified that when the 10-man team, including himself and Inspector Carol McKenzie got to 1088 Fifth Seal Way, he went to a window and announced: “I am here to execute warrants of search and arrest.”

“DSP Walker, a gazetted police officer, informed me that he had these warrants in his possession and I truly and verily believed him. It was, therefore, proper for me to call out the words I did,” Adams told the jury.

Adams also said that although there was a contingent of about 55 policemen, only 10, including himself, were deployed inside the premises because he had a warrant for the arrest of two persons — Christopher Grant and Conroy Robinson — and did not think that more cops were necessary.

“I thought 10 was sufficient to effect the arrest of two persons,” he said.

The CMU boss’ testimony Monday in relation to Everton Robinson, whom the police picked-up at a house at Cumberland, Portmore on their way to Braeton, also conflicted with Robinson’s evidence at the inquest earlier this year.

Adams, in his evidence in chief, testified that before going to Braeton, the police contingent stopped at a house in Cumberland where Robinson was picked up by Deputy Superintendent Cornelius Walker.

Adams described this Robinson as an “informer” and said that after DSP Walker returned from Fifth Seal Way before the shooting began, he (Adams) gave instructions for Robinson to be returned to his house in Cumberland and for another civilian to be taken to the Portmore Police Station.

“When I gave instructions for the civilians to be taken away, I actually saw them being driven away by police personnel,” Adams said.

Adams said that even in a situation where an informant chose to expose himself, he was still obligated not to reveal the person’s identity.

But Robinson had testified earlier this year that he was forced by the police to accompany them to Braeton and that at one point during the shooting, two policemen had tried to take him from the car park to 1088 Fifth Seal Way.

He also testified that he had a view of Fifth Seal Way from where he sat in the police vehicle in the car park and that he was in the car park during the shooting and heard several bursts of gunfire. He also said he heard voices saying “Our Father, our Father. Them a go kill we. Help” and “Mr Corpie, Mr Bunny, help, them a go kill we.”

Robinson had also testified that at one point, two policemen tried to remove him from the jeep to take him to the house at 1088 Fifth Seal Way, but he struggled with them.

According to Robinson, the policemen stopped after the driver of the police vehicle he was in said: “Put him back inna de car. When oonu tek him from West Cumberland from him parents and carry him here and kill him, how that will look?”