On Saturday afternoon, police shot a man who was wanted for a series of robberies. The drama unfolded around 3:45 when according to the official press release, a team was patrolling Central American Boulevard and spotted 22 year old Jarrett Crawford. Police say that as they approached the suspect he put down the bicycle he was riding and ran into a nearby yard. The police pursued him and claim that he pulled out a small black handgun resembling a point twenty-five pistol and pointed it towards them. Police responded by firing several shots. One of the bullets caught Crawford in the left side of the abdomen.
Police claim they found the gun on Crawford and a number of items he is accused of stealing the day before from the Shop and Save Store on King Street. That includes a pink Motorola Razr cell phone, a silver Seiko wrist watch, a gold chain with a cross medal and one gold ring. Police recovered five expended shells on the scene - all are believed to have come from the police weapon because Crawford never fired his gun.
And while Crawford was taken to he KHMH for his gunshot wound, tonight he is out of the hospital and in police custody where he has been charged. But his relatives visited 7news today to tell us that he is in a precarious medical state and needs surgery to remove the bullet that is lodged in his lower abdomen.
Georgia Young, Sister in law of Shooting Victim
"Right now I am talking he is at the police station, CIB Branch. All we are asking is if they can make this young man go back to hospital pending the surgery this evening because his stomach is swelling. He has a bullet in his stomach and he is swelling and the bullet move up and down. It does not stay in one place you understand. The money the come in late this evening. We gone to the station and we asked them let the young man go back, that's all me ask."
Young further claims that the policeman who shot her brother in law was off duty and in civilian clothes, and that he only identified himself as a law enforcement officer after the shooting. Late this evening, the police issued another press release in which it states that not only have they charged Jarrett Crawford for aggravated assault, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition and six counts of robbery for which he has been identified by the victims but he was remanded to Hattieville Prison until Thursday December twenty seventh when is he scheduled to reappear in Magistrate Court. Meanwhile the police say as is customary the incident will be investigated to determine whether or not the police shooting was justified.
