The day after burying her son, who was shot dead by a police officer, a woman staged a public protest outside the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, demanding justice.Wendy Huggins, a pastor, said her plea was not only for her son's killer to be prosecuted but for all people who were unjustly shot dead by police.Huggins yesterday paced in front the Hall of Justice, wearing a blue T-shirt with a photo of her son, Joel Apparicio, printed on the front and holding a black placard with the words "Justice for Joel Apparicio and sons murdered by police" on one side and "Mr DPP my son was murdered by police" on the other.
She explained: "This walk cannot bring back Joel. He was my friend and he leave me with memories on my phone. I used to text him after one (1 am) in the night sending messages and just having fun. This can't bring back Joel."Maybe the (acting) commissioner (of Police, Stephen Williams) or Minister of National Security (Gary Griffith) will use this as a wake-up call to train the officers properly."Apparicio, 31, was shot dead by a police officer last Thursday after he ran past a jewelry shop along Real Street, San Juan. He was running to the San Juan Police Station for help. Huggins said she was running behind him when he was shot.
The officer who shot him was in a black Nissan X-Trail SUV, waiting for a colleague who had stopped to buy a battery for her watch.Apparicio was shot in the chest without warning, collapsed on the pavement and died. Huggins witnessed her son's killing.Eyewitnesses said the officer who shot Apparicio was overheard saying he had shot the wrong man.Huggins said she wanted to see an example made of the Special Reserve Police officer, who, she said, could have shot her son in the foot instead of his chest if he suspected him of wrongdoing."You know how much women are crying right now because of situations like this? I am doing this for sons... this can't bring back Jojo. This can't bring back my son," Huggins said, adding that she plans to keep this up for a "very, very, very long time."Huggins said she has not received any counselling but has been consoling her other five sons.
Police response
Contacted yesterday, police public information officers ASP Joanne Archie said the matter was a recent one and was being investigated.She repeated the comment when asked about another fatal police shooting at La Horquette Road, Glencoe, where Naim Dean was shot dead on April 11.Dean was shot once in the back by a Special Reserve Police officer attached to the Rapid Response Unit, his autopsy revealed.Police say around 8 pm, police stopped a van in which Dean was a passenger and began searching him.An officer attempted to search his groin area when Dean slapped his hand away and ran. The officer chased him and a scuffle ensued.During the scuffle, officials said, Dean stabbed him and the officer shot him once in the chest.