32-year-old Jervis Valencia - he was shot on election night by police officers responding to a shooting incident. Well, he was taken to court today in a hobbled state, to be charged for murder.
After 12 days at the KHMH under police guard, Valencia was helped up the court stairs by his girlfriend Shelly Meighan. He was taken before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith where he was read a charge for the murder of 36 year-old Moses "Malachai" Gonguez. Gonguez and Triston Gordon were shot on municipal elections night, March 4, while ballots were bring counted.
Valencia was also charged for 1 count of attempted murder, dangerous harm, and use of deadly means of harm for Tristan Gordon; 2 counts of aggravated assault, which he allegedly committed against Police Corporal Harold Grinage and Constable Freeman Staine; keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition. Due to the nature of the offences, no bail was offered and he was remanded into custody until May 6.
That's quite alright with his family who believe that if police have evidence against him, they are entitled by to act on it. They are, however, furious that police marched Valencia to court today with unhealed injuries to the neck and chest, which they inflicted while trying to detain him. They told us this evening, that police needed to have given him more time to recover from those injuries before he was arraigned and sent to prison. They spoke with Monica Bodden this evening about it:
Voice of: Sonia Dawson - Mother of Jervis Valencia
"Feel like he is not fit to go to prison. Doctor Chee is his doctor and he said that he is fit to be discharged from the hospital. It was from Saturday that they wanted to discharge him, but we try to dig a little deeper, because on Saturday he was going to the "piss house" and that is not sanitary, because he has a hole in his throat and he has bandages all over his body. He cannot lift his hand nor move half of his body at all. He can barely walk. So, we spoke to different people at the hospital and they decided to leave him until today."
Monica Bodden
"And from the hospital, he was taken by police?"
Sonia Dawson - Mother of Jervis Valencia
"Yes, to court. He was taken to the police station on Amara Avenue, that was from morning and then on 2pm, he went to court."
Monica Bodden
"What's your biggest concern?"
Sonia Dawson - Mother of Jervis Valencia
"I am concern, because if he goes to prison and catch an infection - all that would be on the parent, because in his condition, he shouldn't even be discharged from the hospital. He has a hole at his throat, just a tape over it and his hand is in bandage and half of his body cannot move. He can barely walk. You have to help him to sit down and walk. So, in his condition, he was never fit to be at prison. Just now, they say that they didn't want him to go in the prison bus, so they took him in a special vehicle with the police. When he got into the police vehicle, they handcuff both his hands and his feet. He cannot walk and his other hand is in cast and they still handcuffed his hands and feet. When the news media wanted to take a photo of his while he was being handcuffed, the police cursed the news media and me. The hole that he has at his throat is dangerous for me at the mother, I would say, because that hole is to help him breathe. Now he needs a fan at the prison and I couldn't even send a fan at the prison, because I don't know if they would have accept the fan. I have to ask tomorrow when I take his clothes to see if they would accept the fan, because he needs something to help him breathe. That is why the hole is at his throat, because he cannot breathe on his own. The police men say that he was resisting arrest, they could have shoot him in his feet and not up in his shoulder and to his neck. They shoot to kill."
The official report from police says that at around 9:15 on March 4th, Moses Gonguez, Triston Gordon, and 4 other friends were inside a fenced yard at number 13 Mayflower Street. That's when Jervis Valencia allegedly entered, fired several shots at the crowd and ran off. Gonguez was fatally injured by multiple gunshots, while Triston Gordon was injured on the left leg.
Police were responding and saw Jervis Valencia running away. They say he pointed a gun at them and they fired on him, hitting him in the neck and chest.
Email
Print