Mentally ill man shot and injured in encounter by Siparia police

Trinidad and Tobago: A 35-year-old man, who is suffering from mental illness, was shot by police officers in an encounter in Siparia. The ill man was carrying a cutlass while threatening people on the roadway at noon on Tuesday, 23 April, around 12:00 pm. The suspect was on his way to kill someone.

As per the reports, the incident of the shooting the suspect took place when he tried to attack the police officers in Siparia, a town in the southern part of Trinidad island. The mentally ill man was walking along the roadway in public with a cutlass in his hand which raised the concern among people.

It is said that the man was in an aggressive mood and was shouting with a name, which was Rampy, who he wanted to kill. At nearly 12:00 pm on the day, while the man was disturbing the public harmony, the people informed the situation of the police department.

In response to the information of disturbance in the region of their jurisdiction, a team of police officers made their way to the mentioned address by the complainant. On the site, the police officers spotted the ill man with a cutlass after their arrival as mentioned in the complaint.

Immediately, the police officers on duty went forward to take the situation under control and neutralize it. The police officers ordered the suspect to surrender but in return, the ill man started threatening the officers for their lives. The man said, “Alyuh go have to kill me today.”

However, the police officers tried to tackle the suspect to arrest him while ensuring public safety. Against the attempt of the police officers, the ill man kept resisting and ran towards De Gannes Lane which turned into a small chase.

At a short distance, the mentally unstable suspect was cornered by the police officers in action after the chase. The police officers again ordered him to give away his weapon and surrendered, but he again refused to obey the lawmen.

It is mentioned that the ill man launched an attack on the police officers with the cutlets, directly threatening their lives. In order to protect themselves, one of the police officers got armed with his licensed firearm and launched a fire against the suspect.

The act of shooting during the encounter left the ill suspect injured with wounds from two gunshots on his left thigh. Instantly after the shooting, the suspect fell to the ground and dropped the cutlass. Immediately the police officers took control and searched the man in which they found a silver carving knife in the pocket of the suspect.

The suspect was transferred to the Siparia District Health Facility for the treatment of the gunshot wounds. After the treatment for the injuries he got in the encounter, the man was taken into custody and transferred to the Siparia police station. As the proceedings on the case is ongoing, it is expected that the ill man will be ordered for a psychiatric evaluation.