Policemen freed in case of fatal shooting of three men in Shrewsbury, Westmoreland

The two policemen who were each charged with three counts of murder in connection with the controversial shooting deaths of three men in Shrewsbury, Westmoreland, over 13 years ago were acquitted by a jury on Wednesday.

Constables Damane Campbell and Kenroy Hinds, who were assigned to the Westmoreland police, were freed in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston after the judge who presided over the four-week trial upheld no-case submissions by their attorneys and directed that jurors enter verdicts of acquittal.

No-case submissions refer to legal arguments made by defence attorneys during a trial - usually at the end of the prosecution's case - that the evidence presented by prosecutors is insufficient to support a conviction.

 The policemen were charged following an investigation by the Independent Commission of Investigations into the shooting deaths of Andrew Brydson, his brother Tristan Brydson, and their cousin Kingsley Green on March 15, 2013.

It’s reported that the police, acting on information, went to a location in Shrewsbury where they encountered men armed with guns.

A police report at the time said the three men were killed during a gun battle and that an assault rifle and a handgun were seized during the incident.

The incident sparked days of protests by residents in Shrewsbury and Lacovia, who dismissed the police account of the incident.

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

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