An on-duty police officer shot a man wielding a rock last night and police say he did it in self-defense. The shooting happened in front of the Queen Street Police Station where Keith Swift went today looking for answers.
Keith SwiftReporting,
The story from police is that last night Constable Giovanni Denis was at the Queen Street Station sitting in this booth at the gate when he took interest in the actions of Norman Bernard who was in the pan of a parked pickup.
Inspector Chester Williams, Patrol Branch
“Sometime around 9:15 p.m. last night Police Constable Denis attached to Patrol Branch was working at the Patrol Branch gate the Queen Street Station gate when he heard and saw a male person in the back of a pickup truck. As the norm for police officers he went to investigate what was taking place and why this person was in the back of the pickup truck. When PC Denis went and spoke to this person who was later identified to be Mr. Norman Bernard, Mr. Bernard picked up a piece of cement block and stoned it at the police. He missed and again he picked up another piece of block and was attempting to stone the police once again when PC Denis took out his.38 service revolver and he neutralized the person by shooting him in the right wrist.”
And today at the Queen Street Station, PC Denis’ superiors stood behind him and his actions. Inspector Chester Williams who is second in command of the Patrol Branch says faced with the threat of a rock, the use of deadly means of harm justified.
Inspector Chester Williams,
“The police officer on the spot must have believed his life was in jeopardy. He must have felt threatened and that is the only means he had to subdue the person at the time then I think he used necessary force.”
“We normally inform officers that the firearms should be the last resort. If you believe there is no other resort you can go to then you use a firearm and in this case from my observation and my knowledge of the report I believe that the officer himself used justified force to subdue the person.”
30 year old Norman Bernard was treated and released from the KHMH for that injury to his right wrist. He has since been charged with assaulting a police officer while PC Denis who joined the Police Department last year remains on active duty.