March 28, 2024
Ocho Rios, St. Ann. Jamaica
COVER STORY

18 months later, no closure in mistaken identity death

henry

Family members of a man shot and killed by police a year and a half ago are still seeking answers about why he was shot and who is going to be brought to justice for it.

Leroy Henry was shot and killed by police, in a case of apparent mistaken identity, following their attempts to apprehend a man who had carried out a robbery in the Claremont area on June 3, 2014.

Leroy Henry, a farmer, was taking lunch to his mother on the day when he was shot three times, once to the head and also n the hip and leg. According to family members, people say they witnessed Henry being shot by police who had chased and shot him and after he fell wounded, another policeman who was off duty and had apparently joined the search for the robbers came and shot him in the head.

“I want to know why they had to shoot him three times,” said one of Henry’s sibling’s, younger sister Nicolette Henry, a college student. She said some of those who claim they saw Henry’s execution were afraid to come forward. She said she also wanted to know who is to stand trial for Henry’s death. Two days of fiery protest took place in the area over the death in which Indecom commenced investigations.

Police at the time indicated that Henry had been mistaken for one of the robbers, who had help up a bearer going to the Scotia Bank sub-branch in Claremont and robbed him of nearly $200,000. Neither of the two robbers was caught.

Nicolette Henry, with the support of her mother, Carol Henry has been pressing for answers and recently have been in regular contact with the North Coast Times. Ms Henry said the investigating officer from Indecom informed her that he had completed his part of the investigations and Indecom’s legal team was now going through the report before deciding on a course of action.

It is expected that a decision about the next stage in the investigation will be made in weeks. Henry died leaving two children one is now four and the other two years old.