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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Apr 20, CMC – Police Commissioner, Allister Guevarro, Monday said that three people detained in connection with Sunday’s assault on the San Fernando City Corporation Municipal Police station, south of here, that left one officer dead and guns and ammunition stolen, have been released.
Guevarro said also that contrary to earlier reports, acting Corporal Anusha Eversley, who was killed during what the authorities have declared a “security breach” had not been shot, but bludgeoned to death.
“Corporal Eversley was indeed a shocking moment to the nation, and the heist of several weapons and ammunition—that is an extreme concern to the TTPS. So, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service can confirm at this point in time that the autopsy on Municipal Police Officer Corporal Anusha Eversley was completed today. The cause of death has been determined as strangulation, accompanied by blunt force and sharp force traumatic injuries to the body.
“What was initially suspected to be a gunshot wound has now been clarified by the forensic pathologist findings. The investigation continues apace. There’s no evidence of any gunshot injuries to her body,” Guevarro told a news conference.
Earlier on Monday, the TTPS in a statement said that those detained include two Municipal Police Officers, two females, and two other males.
“The investigation continues apace and at present six men between the ages of 16 and 33 are in custody. Two women and one male detainee who were held yesterday have since been released as inquiries progress. Further changes in persons in custody are expected.”
“As enquiries progress, further changes in persons in custody are expected. In relation to the theft of arms and ammunition from the San Fernando Municipal Police Headquarters, the TTPS has thus far successfully recovered 38 firearms, one MPX submachine gun, one shotgun, one revolver, and 35 pistols.
“Additionally, 929 rounds of ammunition have been retrieved comprising 909 mm, 10 rounds of .38 calibre and 10 shotgun cartridges.”
The top cop said that the probe into the assault on the San Fernando Municipal Precinct is widening and that the TTPS is actively pursuing several interventions (0:04) aimed at not only the San Fernando Municipal Police but across the wider municipal service.
“These measures will seek to address existing gaps and implement significant changes to safeguard against reoccurrences of this nature. Immediate reforms are being introduced to strengthen firearm storage and ensure strict adherence to relevant policies and standing orders.
“Further interviews with municipal police colleagues of the deceased officer are ongoing as investigators seek to determine any and all possibilities of accomplices,” he said, adding “the public is assured that this investigation remains top priority and updates will be provided as new information becomes available”.
On Sunday night, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said that the attack on the municipal police station “was not an external attack on the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) or the National State security services”.
She said it was “an internal betrayal perpetrated against the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS) attached to the San Fernando City Corporation.
“It should be noted that The TTPS is a distinct entity from the TTMPS. TTPS officers were not involved in the incident. The Ministry of Homeland Security and the TTPS will provide full support to TTMPS, San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris and the San Fernando City Corporation to investigate and bring this matter to closure and recover the stolen items,” she said.
The developments come amid an ongoing State of Emergency (SoE), with the opposition questioning whether current measures are effectively addressing rising crime and security breaches.
But Persad-Bissessar said that “there is no need for any curfew”.
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