Senior Reporter
Kaia Sealy is due to return to Trinidad and Tobago early this morning.
The woman involved in the controversial police-involved shooting in St Augustine on January 20, which led to the death of her partner Joshua Samaroo and left her paralysed, is scheduled to arrive at the Piarco International Airport around 1:45 am today.
Her return to this country comes 20 days after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) instructed the police that Sealy be charged with three counts of shooting with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against police officers and one charge of manslaughter in relation to Samaroo’s death. On May 21, police obtained warrants to charge Sealy with the four offences. Days later, on May 26, during a virtual High Court hearing, authorities added four more firearm-related offences: possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm to endanger life, and discharging a firearm within 40 metres of a public place against Sealy.
The announcement of the charges led to a public uproar, with many citizens questioning the decision to charge Sealy after a video of the police shooting in St Augustine was released days after the incident, which allegedly appeared to show Samaroo, unarmed and with his hands up.
The protests occurred outside the Police Administration Building, with friends and supporters of Sealy calling for a response from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and demanding the resignation of Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro. The uproar led to the DPP issuing a statement, warning media organisations and social media users against publishing material that could prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings arising from the killing of Joshua Samaroo.
The DPP stressed that the filing of charges should not be interpreted as proof of guilt.
Sealy, who was left wheelchair-bound following the incident, had been undergoing medical treatment abroad and was only recently cleared by doctors to travel back to T&T.
Sealy’s legal team, which is led by Fayola Sandy and includes Larry Williams, has maintained Sealy’s innocence throughout.
The two have consistently rubbished claims that Sealy had evaded investigators by fleeing to the US and assured she would return to this country to face the charges.
After a slew of charges against Sealy were announced, the 24-year-old issued a statement breaking her silence. In her statement on May 25, she said she is not a gangster, has never owned a gun and remains in disbelief over the entire situation surrounding the death of her partner Joshua Samaroo and the injuries she sustained.
“I am not a gangster. I have never been in trouble with the law. I have only ever seen a gun on an armed security or police officer. I have never held a gun in my life, much less fired one at police officers. I have never had a friend, family member or partner introduce a gun into my environment. This is not entertainment for me. This is not loss of a job. This is not loss of some high ranking position. This is my real life,” she said.
On January 20, Joshua was shot 19 times by police while in his car at the corner of College Road and Bassie Street Extension, St Augustine, following a high-speed chase that started in Maloney.
