Cops found not guilty of triple shooting 13-years ago

Two policemen charged in the controversial shooting deaths of three Westmoreland men over a decade ago walked free from court on Wednesday after a jury was directed to return not guilty verdicts in the high-profile case.

Constables Damane Campbell and Kenroy Hinds, both formerly attached to the Westmoreland Police Division, were acquitted in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston after the judge upheld no-case submissions made by their attorneys following a four-week trial.

The cops had each been facing three counts of murder in relation to the 2013 shooting deaths of brothers Andrew and Tristan Brydson and their cousin Kingsley Green in Shrewsbury, Westmoreland.

At the time, police claimed the men were killed during a gun battle after officers acting on information confronted armed men in the area. An assault rifle and a handgun were reportedly seized following the incident.

But the police account sparked outrage in the community, with residents in Shrewsbury and nearby Lacovia staging days of protest and disputing the official version of events.

The charges against the officers came after an investigation by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).

During the trial, defence attorneys argued that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence to support convictions, leading the judge to direct the jury to acquit both men.

Campbell was represented by attorneys Peter Champagnie, KC, Samoi Campbell and Sayeed Bernard, while Hinds was represented by Jacqueline Samuels Brown, KC, and Zara Lewis.

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