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Coroner's court has still to reconvene

Wed, Jul 28th 2021, 08:16 AM
Court Tribune Stories

THE Bahamas has not had an inquest into a police-involved killing in at least 17 months, despite having one of the highest rates of police-involved killings in the world.

Inquests were halted in March 2020 because of COVID-19. They were supposed to resume after the Coroner’s Court was outfitted with plexiglass barriers in April of this year.
#However, former Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice in May and has not yet been replaced.
#The Tribune understands that while Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt is the Acting Coroner and has visited scenes of killings as required, she has not yet held inquests.
#Before court proceedings were suspended last year, the court was scheduled to hold an inquest into the 2018 death of Deangelo Evans, a 20-year-old man whose killing in Masons Addition alarmed the community.
#The Governor-General appoints coroners on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, according to the Coroner’s Act.
#Questions to the Office of the Chief Justice were not answered before press time yesterday.
#There have been at least six police-involved killings this year. In the most recent case, police killed a man in June who allegedly assaulted an elderly lady and shot a young man who followed him.
#The country has one of the highest per-capita rates of police involved killings in the world and recorded 11 such killings in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Inquests were halted in March 2020 because of COVID-19. They were supposed to resume after the Coroner’s Court was outfitted with plexiglass barriers in April of this year.

However, former Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice in May and has not yet been replaced.

The Tribune understands that while Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt is the Acting Coroner and has visited scenes of killings as required, she has not yet held inquests.

Before court proceedings were suspended last year, the court was scheduled to hold an inquest into the 2018 death of Deangelo Evans, a 20-year-old man whose killing in Masons Addition alarmed the community.

The Governor-General appoints coroners on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, according to the Coroner’s Act.

Questions to the Office of the Chief Justice were not answered before press time yesterday.

There have been at least six police-involved killings this year. In the most recent case, police killed a man in June who allegedly assaulted an elderly lady and shot a young man who followed him.

The country has one of the highest per-capita rates of police involved killings in the world and recorded 11 such killings in 2017, 2018 and 2020. 

 

Click here to read more at The Tribune

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