Twenty-three-year-old Darel Prevost of Bocage, Castries, who was shot by a police officer last night, claims the incident may have been a case of “mistaken identity”.
Prevost told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that he was wrongfully shot.
“If they give any excuse is that they do something accidentally and they twisting it now,” he stated.
The construction worker said he was about to get something to eat last night, when he saw one of his schoolmates and his girlfriend, and spoke with them briefly.
He said a few seconds after the conversation ended, he heard someone saying, “Hey you, stop there.” At first, Prevost said he thought someone was attempting to rob him, so he didn’t bother to turn around.
“But by the time I turned my back to the road I heard bow, like a firework. I kept walking and then I suddenly fell in the gutter,” he recalled.
Prevost said the police approached him and told him not to move. He then questioned the police as to the reason for him being shot. According to him, the police questioned him about his schoolmate, who he was talking to minutes before the shooting.
“I told him I don’t know the man, I can’t tell you anything about the man. He put the gun to my face and then everybody started to crowd around us,” he explained. Prevost said he have’nt seen his friend for years and never had contact with him.
Prevost is convinced that the police shot him wrongfully, especially since he was shot from behind and claims the lawman did not know who he was shooting at.
A police statement issued today said that a patrol responded to a report that a male was in possession of a firearm in the same area of the shooting. The police identified Prevost as a suspect. However, the victim has denied any such claim and said the police did not conduct a search on him nor found any weapon in his possession.
He sustained one gunshot to the right side of his buttock. The bullet penetrated his thigh, broke a bone, and a blood vessel. He is bleeding both internally and externally. He is expected to undergo surgery shortly.
Prevost’s mother Karen claims that none of the officers explained to them the reason her son was shot. One officer visited the hospital, but did not take a police statement.
The distraught mother said she could have lost her son and is calling for a proper investigation into the shooting.
