FOUR charges, one of them the murder of acting corporal Anuska Eversley, have been laid against municipal police constable Jivon Cooper following instructions to charge by Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC, late on Tuesday night.
Cooper, 28, was also charged with robbery with violence, trafficking of firearms, and possession of ammunition in connection with the incident at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station last Sunday.
Nine other suspects have also been detained and 43 firearms and 929 rounds of ammunition have been recovered.
Anuska Eversley
The Express reported exclusively on Tuesday night that DPP Gaspard gave the instructions to charge Cooper of Cedar Hill, Claxton Bay, following consultations with officers of Homicide Region III which included Supt Persad and Ag ASP Mahara.
Eversley, 36, was found dead at the King’s Wharf, Lady Hailes Avenue municipal station around 4.40 a.m. on Sunday after colleagues returned to the charge room area and observed blood coming from her quarters.
They found her body on a mattress.
Investigators said Cooper was likely to appear in court by tomorrow or early next week.
Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro confirmed the charges against Cooper and warned that no one was above the law.
“The swift and meticulous work of our investigators reflects the standard of professionalism the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service demands of itself. Their decisive action brings us closer to justice for the family and colleagues of Acting Corporal of Police Eversley and for a nation traumatised by this deeply troubling act of betrayal. The lure of greed and quick money can never justify the betrayal of public trust,” he stated in a release from the TTPS. “Whether you serve as estate police, transit police, municipal police, special reserve police, or regular police, our oath binds us to a higher duty. For those who choose corruption and criminality, we will leave no stone unturned to remove you from among the officers who risk their lives daily to protect our citizens and place you instead among those who enjoy State-provided accommodation with reinforced burglar-proofing and 24-hour security. The TTPS remains resolute in defending the integrity of the badge.”
‘Shocking moment to the nation’
The commissioner said investigations were also coordinated by Deputy Commissioner of Police Natasha George, Assistant Commissioner of Police Richard Smith, and Senior Superintendent of Police Sean Dhillpaul of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (HBI), Region Three.
The investigation was supervised by Supt Persad and members of HBI Region Three, while acting ASP Maharaj is the investigator in the matter.
Eversley’s murder was described by Guevarro as a “shocking moment to the nation”, particularly as it occurred within a police facility.
Firearms and 4,000 rounds of ammunition were also removed from the station’s strongroom, which investigators later described as a major security breach.
ACP Surrendra Sagramsingh, head of the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS), has been sent on administrative leave amid the investigation.
He previously told the Express it was possible that more than 100 guns were stolen from the station’s strongroom.
Since the incident, police have held at least nine other suspects, while two others—a man and a woman who were previously detained—were released from police custody, Guevarro said on Monday.
