Gunshot killed Archer, pathologist report shows

Dave Archer died as a result of a gunshot injury to the abdomen.

That was the cause of death given by consultant pathologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Dr David Gaskin, whose post-mortem report was entered into evidence on Friday in the No. 3 Supreme Court as the murder trial of Rommel Akeem Cummins continued.

Cummins, 30, of Vauxhall No. 2 Christ Church, is accused of murdering Archer on June 10, 2019. Archer, a former security guard on the MV DreamChaser, was gunned down while on the party boat.

While Dr Gaskin was not present, both prosecutor Senior State Counsel Neville Watson and defence counsel Angela Mitchell-Gittens agreed to admitting the pathologist’s report into evidence. The full document will be made available to the jury.

In reading a snippet of the report to the jury, Justice Carlisle Greaves said Dr Gaskin concluded that Archer died as a result of the gunshot injury and his death was deemed unnatural.

The only witness to take the stand was Acting Sergeant Mervyn Sealy.

He told the court he served as the backup officer for lead investigator Sergeant Michael Ifill.

Under examination by Watson, Sealy said both statements Cummins gave to police were given of his own free will.

The police witness maintained that at no time was the accused forced or beaten to write or sign any statements.

“He was treated good. He was cooperative,” Sealy said.

He also told the court he was unaware of any complaints filed by Cummins regarding how he had been treated while in police custody.

When cross-examined by Mitchell-Gittens, Sealy told the court he and Sergeant Ifill determined Cummins’ alibi was untrue after they visited certain areas and spoke to persons he claimed he had been with.

He said some of those people gave statements.

Sealy admitted that no firearm was recovered. He also said he was not aware of any forensics that linked Cummins to the murder.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Monday.