Former Head of the now-disbanded Target Special Squad, Steve Merai said that on the morning of April 6, 2002 the police had no opportunity to identify themselves to Shaka Blair whom they eventually killed in his Middle Walk, Buxton home.

He added that before Blair was shot dead he (Blair) had asked ranks whether they were police officers from the nearby Vigilance Police Station and they answered no.

Merai made these statements on Thursday while under cross-examination by attorney-at-law, Raphael Trotman at the resumption of the Shaka Blair Coroner’s Inquest being held at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.

Blair was shot and killed in his Buxton home in the early hours of April 6 when a team of eleven police officers from the TSS base at Eve Leary reportedly went to conduct a search for illegal arms, ammunition and explosive devices.

On Thursday, Merai maintained that a .375 Smith and Wesson Magnum Revolver, a quantity of live ammunition and spent shells along with a hand grenade were recovered from the scene.

Meanwhile, in earlier testimony Merai, whose absence from the jurisdiction had held up the inquest, said on April 5, 2002 he had instructed Constable Sean Belfield who already testified in the inquest to prepare a search warrant for Blair’s home. Blair was alleged to have had unlawful arms, ammunition and explosive devices. Merai said after the warrant was prepared, around 10:30 pm, he and Belfield took it to Duke Street, Kingston at the home of Ex-Deputy Commissioner of Police, Justice of the Peace Kassim for it to be sworn to and signed. Merai said he had received instructions from higher authorities for Blair’s home to be searched.

He said at about 11:55 pm, he and Belfield returned to base and at this point a party of policemen under his command departed for the lower East Coast on mobile patrols. The party, Merai recounted, included himself, Sergeant Eon Smith, Constable Keswin Benjamin, Constables, Roberts, Mars, Ferrel, Thomas, S. Denny, R. Denny and Valentine. He said that they all left together in the force’s vehicles, numbers PFF 2885 and GGG 6207, driven by S Denny and Valentine respectively, dressed in navy blue uniform and armed.

Merai said he was in vehicle PFF 2885 along with Belfield, Roberts, Benjamin and Mars. The other vehicle was commanded by Smith.

Having left Eve Leary, Merai testified they conducted a few patrols around Georgetown as part of their routine duties. However, when asked by Trotman why such patrols were made when the mission to Buxton was a serious one, Merai said he delayed the journey so as to receive a telephone call.

“The call was to make sure that Blair was home,” Merai said.

They eventually proceeded without receiving the call, but about an hour after leaving, they stopped at Lusignan where he had a conversation with a man. Merai told the court that the conversation was integral, noting that it was what had led them to Blair’s home.

Leaving Lusignan, Merai said he then instructed the officers that they were going to Buxton to see Shaka Blair.

Upon their arrival at Buxton, Blair’s home was surrounded by a few of the officers after which himself, Smith, Belfield and Benjamin proceeded upstairs.

He said they knocked a few times on the door but no one opened it, hence they were forced to break it in.

According to Merai, Benjamin was the one who was instructed to make the forced entry through the front door and once that was done, he and the other officers entered the house.

Asked whether at any point he or his officers identified themselves as police officers to Blair, Merai said “We did not have a chance to show our IDs to the occupants at the time of our visit.”

Asked what sort of instructions were given by him while in Blair’s house, Merai said “I told Benjamin to rap on the front bedroom door and he did so.”

According to Merai, immediately after Benjamin knocked on the bedroom door a male voice asked whether they were officers from Vigilance Police Station.

“I said no and a couple seconds later the room door flew open and a woman with a small child in her arms ran out and headed eastward in the house.”

At this point, Trotman suggested to Merai that the bedroom door was wrenched open by one of his officers but he denied this.

Trotman also put to him that it was not standard procedure for them to make a forced entry into a house and then on entering it rap on the bedroom door. Merai denied this also.

He argued that he did not know Blair prior to their encounter, noting that once the bedroom door was open he saw him at the doorway with a weapon in his right hand.

Merai told the court that Blair was the first to have fired his weapon at which time Benjamin, who was about 4-6 feet away from him, moved backward and discharged two rounds at Blair. He said he, Smith and Belfield had taken evasive actions during the shooting.

Merai said immediately after Blair was shot he was lifted into one of the police vehicles and rushed to the Georgetown Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He admitted that once Blair was shot the intended search for arms ammunition and explosive devices was abandoned. However, Merai said they did not anticipate that their encounter with Blair would have been violent even though their search was for arms and ammunition.

He said saving Blair’s life was more important to them at the time than searching for arms.

Trotman asked him why all of the officers were allowed to escort Blair to the hospital and no one remained to search the house for the illegal weapons. Merai said he considered at that time the location to be very violent and as such he withdrew his ranks from the area.

But he agreed with Trotman that the area was not considered violent prior to their visit.

Merai also agreed that the standard procedure when executing search warrants was to detain or arrest anyone close to the vicinity especially when the articles being searched for had been found. But he disagreed with the lawyer when it was suggested to him that the only reason why Blair’s wife and any other occupant of the house was not arrested was because it was never their intention to carry out a search of the house.