Relatives of Christopher Reid, who was shot dead by a police officer on Duke Street, Port-of-Spain, on Wednesday, hold no ill will against the officer.
Reid’s relatives made the comment after viewing his body at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday.
According to police reports, around 2.40 pm Reid was seen fighting with his estranged common-law wife, Chinales Thomas, along Duke Street, near Henry Street corner.
During the fight Reid, 45, of Second Caledonia, Morvant, pulled out a gun and placed it to Thomas’ head. However, the driver of an unmarked police vehicle, who was stuck in traffic, jumped out of the car and shot Reid. Police said Reid was pronounced dead on arrival at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.
T&T Guardian spoke to two of Reid’s relatives, one of whom is a police officer, yesterday.
One of the relatives, who asked not to be identified, said while she thought five shots were excessive, she understood the officers “did what they had to do” to protect the public.
“He did not have to go that way, knowing that someone was in the prime of his life.
“We do not have any malice towards the officers. If I was in the position... I don’t know. I always tell them to have a human perspective first. I say today is your relative, tomorrow it is mine. And today it was my relative. Now he is a statistic,” she said.
However, the police officer, who also did not want to be identified, said it was difficult for her to deal with Reid’s death, especially since it was by the hands of another police officer.
“Knowing that his death occurred at the hands of a fellow colleague, I have a lot of questions. He wasn’t just a cousin to me, he was like my brother. It is hard,” she added.
She said while she had many questions about the force used in Reid’s death, his actions were wrong.
“In the end of the day, he had a firearm that he should not have had because he is not a holder of a firearm licence but I believe the situation could have been dealt with and resolved by both him and his common-law wife,” the police officer said.
Reid, who was a father of three, was a self-employed craftsman. His relatives described him as a hard working and loving man.
“His children are not doing well. The smaller ones are not coping well at all. His daughter just broke down in school,” she said.
The relative admitted Reid had a criminal past but said he changed when his children were born.
“People would come and say that their relative was a good boy but I will be honest. In his younger days he had many run-ins but he changed his life when his first child was born,” she said.
The relative said Reid had been with Thomas for 21 years and was like part of the family. They both said they were unaware of any domestic violence issues between the couple.