‘Deadly’ assignment

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 did not see anyone with a gun.

Reann Phillips gave the testimony from the witness stand in the murder trial of Hakeem Roberto Stuart in 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 assignment at the Christ Church mall when the incident took place.

“On that day I was assigned by my editor at CBC to cover a walkthrough by members of the National Disabilities Unit at Sheraton Centre. That was scheduled to start at 1:30 [p.m] so I was partnered with Christopher Wood who was the videographer at CBC and we went to Sheraton to cover the assignment.

“We eventually found Kerryann Ifill and we decided to start the interview. There were also other persons from other media houses there as well. That interview started and about three minutes into the interview I remembered I was asking a question and at that point I heard an explosion,” Phillips recalled under questioning from State Counsel Romario Straker.

“I wondered what it was. I thought it was probably something in one of the kitchens of the food court because we were in the food court at that point. Then I heard a second explosion and then there was just a mad rush.”

Phillips said she ended up on the floor and “from the corner of my left eye” saw what appeared to be a shell casing.

“I just scampered by pulling myself along on my stomach trying 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 outside there was just a mad rush of people. I did not see anyone with a gun, I did not see anything,” Phillips said.

She said she subsequently walked back to the main entrance to the mall where she saw a man’s motionless body on the ground 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.