A reporter from the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) today admitted that while she was at Sheraton Centre two years ago when a deadly shooting took place, she didn’t see anyone with a gun.
Reann Phillips gave the testimony from the witness stand within the murder trial of Hakeem Roberto Stuart within the No. 3 Supreme Court before Justice Carlisle Greaves.
Stuart, 24, of Shelbourne Gap, St Lawrence, Christ Church, is accused of murdering Damian Trotman on March 31, 2019.
Phillips told the court she was on project on the Christ Church mall when the incident took place.
“On that day I used to be assigned by my editor at CBC to cover a walkthrough by members of the National Disabilities Unit at Sheraton Centre. That was scheduled to begin at 1:30 [p.m] so I used to be partnered with Christopher Wood who was the videographer at CBC and we went to Sheraton to cover the project.
“We eventually found Kerryann Ifill and we decided to begin the interview. There have been also other individuals from other media houses there as well. That interview began and about three minutes into the interview I remembered I used to be asking an issue and at that time I heard an explosion,” Phillips recalled under questioning from State Counsel Romario Straker.
“I wondered what it was. I assumed it was probably something in considered one of the kitchens of the food court because we were within the food court at that time. Then I heard a second explosion after which there was only a mad rush.”
Phillips said she ended up on the ground and “from the corner of my left eye” saw what gave the impression to be a shell casing.
“I just scampered by pulling myself along on my stomach attempting to get through the door and out of harm’s way. I managed to get out the door and I just ran outside and tried to compose myself.
“On the skin there was only a mad rush of individuals. I didn’t see anyone with a gun, I didn’t see anything,” Phillips said.
She said she subsequently walked back to the fundamental entrance to the mall where she saw a person’s motionless body on the bottom lying in blood.
Director of Public Prosecutions Donna Babb-Agard and Straker are appearing on behalf of the State, while King’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim is representing the accused in association with Sian Lange and Kamisha Benjamin.
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