Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel Wednesday set sentencing for Friday in a case in which a police officer was found found him guilty of discharging a firearm in a public place, stemming from a December 3, 2022 incident
Police Officer, Karim Warner, broke down in tears after the magistrate found him guilty of discharging a firearm in a public place.
The prosecution had said that Warner fired 12 rounds at a vehicle with with two occupants after a confrontation during an attempt to reclaim a leased vehicle.
The court was told that a male occupant of the vehicle had refused to hand over the car before shots were fired.
Warner had initially faced charges for discharging a firearm in a public place and assaulting both vehicle occupants. He maintained his innocence, entering not guilty pleas.
In February, the prosecution dropped the assault charges entirely and the situation became more complicated when the male complainant failed to appear for trial and formally withdrew from the case, stating he no longer wished to participate in the proceedings.
Despite these setbacks, Magistrate Emanuel continued with the remaining charge of discharging a firearm in a public place with testimony from four witnesses, including the female complainant, a taxi driver, police officers, and additional witnesses.
Following the prosecution’s presentation, defense attorney Andrew O’Kola mounted a no-case submission, contending that prosecutors had failed to meet the evidentiary threshold required to sustain the charges. O’Kola requested the case be dismissed outright.
But after considering the arguments from the state and the defence, Magistrate Emanuel rejected the no-case submission.