PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) says an approach will be made to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) “on the way forward” after indicating that “a thorough investigation” into the shooting death of Joshua Samaroo “has been conducted”.
CCTV video had captured the January 20 incident showing police officers opening fire on a car following a crash in Valsayn, east of here, killing Samaroo, 31, and leaving his common-law wife, Kaia Sealy, 31, critically injured and paralyzed.
Sealy, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was shot multiple times during the incident.
The footage was taken from a surveillance camera mounted at a Hindu temple opposite the scene, and Police Commissioner, Allister Guevarro, in a voice recording, then described the incident as an “exchange of gunfire” and that officers were “engaged in a high-risk vehicle pursuit when the car ran off the roadway…”
In a statement, the TTPS said that “as part of the investigative process, several exhibits were submitted to the Forensic Science Center in Port-of-Spain for analysis and received on Tuesday, May 19.
“The investigating officers will now approach the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, where the file will be reviewed and further guidance provided on the way forward. The TTPS remains committed to ensuring that this matter is handled thoroughly and professionally. In accordance with due process,” the TTPS said, adding that “the public will be updated on the outcome of this investigation “promptly.
The director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), David West, had earlier this year confirmed that his agency had launched an investigation into the shootings.
Samaroo’s family has been staging protest marches urging the authorities to complete their investigations.
Last year, 68 people were killed in confrontations with members of the TTPS, 14 more than the number killed in 2024. In 2023, police killed 45 people.
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