Investigations are ongoing in an incident which occurred at Boetica which left a man dead after he was shot by a police officer.
Henry St. Ville, 61, died from a gunshot wound in the incident which took place on February 21.
According to reports from Police PRO Inspector Pellam Jno Baptiste, the incident occurred at about 9:45 am when St. Ville, who is suspected to be mentally challenged, attacked a police officer with a knife.
“St Ville was shot by a police officer while attacking another police officer,” Jno Baptiste said.
He explained that at the time of the incident police officers were responding to numerous allegations against St. Ville, who was met armed with a knife.
St. Ville was pronounced dead by a medical Doctor.
A coroner’s inquest will be convened in the matter.
I understand from the law set in the country that self defense is a term used by the victim trying to protect themselves. Been killed by an onlooking and other police officer is not and cannot be the same thing ! The police officers cannot defend themselves without using a gun ? What does it feel like taking someone’s life ? If the onlooking officer could shoot to protect someone else’s life, that means that the offender may not have even been aware of another presence or was not paying attention. Perfect opportunity to wound or beat instead of killing. I believe that there was a lot fear involved and the police had no idea how to appreoach an armed mentally ill person . we need better training and education in the police force. Everyone has a right to life !!!
Another nonsense act from Dominica Police Force…
There are non lethal forms of force that are highly effective in these situations.
I wonder what the comments would have been if the mentally challenged man had attacked and killed another person with the knife. Some comments would ask where were the police? Others would say numerous reports were made and the police failed to act. Swing this axe any way and people will still talk and talk and talk. It is what we’re good at. Talking…
Sad.
A man got a knife and he’s being shot
How ridiculous and unprofessional! Alot of these police on this island rock are not disciplined enough to carry a gun!
wild wild west
long time ago when mad people was behaving bad they use to call men and tie them up and take them to the mad house like we would say nowadays is shot to kill alas lord pray for us and the mantally ill they need to put them in a proper place
Long time ago they did not use to have knives.. so we could hold them. and that my friend was a long time ago. now these days mad men got smart..
If the mentally ill person is attacking you with a knife you will tie them up and put them in their proper place I suppose. In that case please join the police force so they can call you when mad people are stabbing people with knives.
The police who was being attached was not the one who shot the victim; hence this is not self defense case… I do not understand why trained police officer would shoot to kill in this situation. The officer could have opt to shoot this mentally challenged man in his legs, somewhere which would have slowed him down and not kill him.
Its a very sad incident but just as in the USA, an investigation has to occur to prove that this was a sound shooting.
Look It:
Thank you for straightening me out. I thought it was the officer being attacked who shot his attacker. In this case it could not be called self defence.
Like you I am sorry an officer was injured. Even more so that a life was lost.
However, a fellow officer does have a duty to protect another officer. How he should have done it or not have done it is for the court to decide.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
im sure the officer aimed for an area tht would not be fatal, but the conditions like wind and visibility. remember Boetica windy… end of story..
if the had lines were mad man kills cop. or man kills mother of three, or mad man raped 16 year old and the sliced her with knife.. hhmm how beautiful would that headline be..
People with weapons suck as knives and cutlasses or stones need to hear one command. and that is top.
The police shot a 61 year old mentally ill man. I thought it was a young man with all his strength. Shame on that policeman; He should be fired. He is unable to carry out his duties. A 61 year old man and the police training school should also have psychologist have sessions on how to deal with the mentally ill and the high level of drug addict in this country before they start shooting these people like dogs.
CDPF is INFESTED with Cowards that want to shoot instead of fight
U dont know the circumstances under which he was shot. U know, or I assume u know that mentally ill ppl are very strong and violent when unstable. Maybe even u would kill him with a weapon other than a gun if it was your family member he was attacking with a knife.
Most Mentally Ill people have more strength than you know. Have you ever had to Try to contain or seclude one of them down ..? even from hurting his/her oneself even without a weapon ? That is a scary situation for anyone. I am sure it was for those Policemen in this case.
He should be in a mental home the police is human to is just a job he have to defend himself
I agree with you. Sad the man was killed. I am certain the police did not aim to kill him. He died later.
The guy “had a knife?” So why didn’t the police officer run away? That gun thing there and de badge put the law on their side. “I was scared for my life.” Bang bang bang, another one bite the dust.
Fool, can you picture a police running away from an armed man? It does not happen in the whole wide world. They will try to subdue the attacker by whatever means.
If the officer run away and the man still has his knife he could continue his rampage and stab more people. Do not forget the police were there to investigate Mr. St. Ville for other incidents when this occurred. It is not a situation a police officer can run from.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
It is a sad case of affair, self preservation is the first rule of life , hope the officer get some kind of counselling in regards to [ptsd] post traumatic stress disorder.
As sad as this may be, the only PTSD TREATMENT he will receive is a shot of kast-rum or Must-cover. In cases like this Dca police are left on their own.
Always Assertive!
A shooting of this nature is more traumatic to police officer than we can imagine.
Psychological counseling should be provided for this officer. Counseling should also be offered to the officer who was attacked, and all others who were involved who night benefit from it. These events often have long term consequences if they are not treated. It is time to do more than pay lip service to the cause of mental health.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
It is sad for both parties. Hold strong family
I’m not taking any sides in this one as we have to wait for the investigation to be completed. It’s always sad whenever a life has to be taken, however this would be a great time for CDPF to review how they respond to persons who are diagnosed with mental health illness.
I’m not sure what protocols are a in place for police officers and what are their guidelines in these circumstances. I hope the report explains their protocol.
Agree with you on the review of the response to persons with mental illness. However, when faced with any person with a weapon that could potentially cause the death of anyone in the community, it is the duty of the police to protect and preserve the life of every and anyone involved. In this case, unfortunately, the life on an individual suffering from a mental illness was cut short. What would more beneficial, is that we pay more attention to the seriousness of the issue of mental illness in itself. We as a society tend to make fun of and tease the people who suffer from these horrible illnesses. “Mister crazy boy,’ we say and at some point in their lives they become a joke punch line. Mental illness is a serious issue, and we as a society have to do a better job in diagnosing and treating these issues. At the end of the day, if the police felt that the life of a fellow officer was in danger, unfortunate as it is, he fired his weapon and a man died. Prayers up to all involved.
whatis there to investigate? the officer could have shot him in his leg, instead he chose to shot to KILL
Police involve should be sent on leve while the matter is investigated. ALSO POLICE SHOULD NOT INVESTIGATE POLICE. IT SHOLD BE DONE BY A POLICE COMPLSIN COMMISSION
Dominica wake up ot is tome these systems put I place
So you are going to pay the members of the Police Complaint Commission a year’s salary to work for 2 weeks a year?
And who do you think will man the complaint’s commission? Somebody who has never investigated a case?