Constable to be charged for shooting youth in mouth

Last Updated on Sunday, 8 June 2014, 15:40 by GxMedia

The exit wound from the bullet that was fired in Alex Griffith's mouth. — The exit wound from the bullet that was fired in Alex Griffith’s mouth.

A police constable instead of a cadet officer is expected to be charged in connection with the shooting of a teenager in his mouth, according to Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud.

“We have one constable under close arrest. Actually, the evidence shows so far that he is the only one who would have perpetrated the act,” he told reporters at the weekend.

The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) was expected to dispatch the file back to police for the constable to be charged and arraigned this week.

He said Alex Griffith could not specifically identify the cop who pulled the trigger in his mouth on April 30, 2014, but based on eyewitness accounts police were able to identify that it was a constable who committed the offence.

The Commissioner explained that the Cadet Officer knew about the incident and has been since moved to another location. “The officer was transferred because he knew of it and tried to push it under the carpet rather than deal with it condignly,” he said.

Persaud expressed grave concern about the policemen colluding to cover up offences and he hoped that the actions against the constable and the Cadet Officer would serve as a deterrent.

As part of a robbery probe, Griffith was arrested at his home at East La Penitence and taken away. A gun, with a single round, was placed in the youth’s mouth and the trigger pulled during the interrogation.