Allegations of a cover-up have surfaced in a report sent to Village Voice News and addressed to the US Embassy, following a shooting incident allegedly involving Sergeant Sunil Persaud of the Special Branch. The incident, purportedly occurring on March 11th around 10:30 PM in Republic Park E.B.D, reportedly saw Persaud and fellow Special Branch officers opening fire on Traffic Sergeant Ranold Payne’s vehicle.
According to reports, Persaud, along with Cpl. Lewis, L/Cpl Bowen, Constable Austin, and Constable Bascom, allegedly received instructions from Assistant Commissioner Errol Watts regarding a robbery/murder case. Acting on this information, they purportedly intercepted a vehicle believed to be connected to the crime.
In the chaos that ensued, Persaud, allegedly the first to exit their vehicle, reportedly began shooting without identifying the occupants. The driver, alleged to be Sgt. Payne, managed to flee to Providence Police Station with the Special Branch officers in pursuit.
After Sgt. Payne’s identity was revealed and the incident reported, all five officers were reportedly placed under close arrest. However, allegations suggest that Persaud, allegedly acting under orders from AC Watts, orchestrated the replacement of fired rounds and instructed officers to omit certain details from their statements.
The situation escalated as conflicting orders were allegedly issued regarding the custody of the detained officers, highlighting internal tensions within law enforcement ranks. Following day O/C Admin AC Brutus then sent an official message for the five ranks, but Watts only sent three and said he is not taking orders from Brutus either only the president or commissioner could order him. The ranks he kept back were Sgt Sunil Persaud and Constable Bascom (Watts driver) The other 3 Ranks were further placed on close arrest at TSU lockups and investigation launch by OPR. Further AC. Despite attempts by other senior officers to intervene, AC Watts, allegedly defiant, refused to comply with orders, exacerbating the rift within the force.
Further complicating matters, allegations arose of obstruction in obtaining surveillance footage for investigation, raising concerns about transparency and accountability within the Special Branch.
As the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) initiates investigations, questions abound regarding the integrity of law enforcement operations and the handling of alleged misconduct. With Persaud allegedly returning to full duty amidst ongoing scrutiny, the fallout from these allegations is anticipated to have far-reaching implications within the law enforcement community.