Police have arrested Kaia Sealy early Wednesday morning as she returned from the United States where she had been undergoing medical treatment following the police involved shooting of her 31-year-old common law husband on January 20, this year.
Late month, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Roger Gaspard, defended his decision to instruct the police to charge the 24-year-old common-law wife of Joshua Samaroo amid public protest over the decision and the action by the police in January. Gaspard acknowledged that the ‘regrettable killing’ of Samaroo and the serious injury of Sealy, as well as the subsequent charges arising therefrom, have justifiably generated huge public interest; ‘many of the views expressed have been predicated upon the public’s viewing of video footage, which purports to cover the unfortunate events’.
He reminded the country that it is not within his ‘constitutional remit to investigate any crime, neither did I select or pick the evidentiary fruits presented to me by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS)’.
Police had earlier issued for the arrest of Sealy on three counts of shooting with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at the police, manslaughter, with police alleging that Sealy, who was shot multiple times during the incident and left paralyzed, unlawfully killed Samaroo.
Since then, the police have added new charges of having a firearm; possession of ammunition; possession of a firearm with the intent to endanger life and discharging a firearm within 40 meters of a public place.
Sealy’s lawyer, Fayola Sandy, told reporters that she was left stunned after arriving at the Piarco International Airport to find Sealy had been taken into custody by police officers and led out the back.
Sealy had been travelling in the company of her mother, who told Sandy the meeting with officers had been cordial. Sandy said Sealy’s mother was firm the officers had not acted in an aggressive manner towards Sealy.
Sealy was later taken to a police station not far from the airport.
‘She has a severe medical condition and in the circumstances she has been holding up well. I have not been able to talk with the investigative police, as I have been told she is being housed here…until the matter proceeds to court,’ Sandy said, adding that her client would be attending the court virtually.