Following the inexplicable death of Kerwin Proper in police custody, acting Chief of Police Lincoln Corbette said an appeal has been made to the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) to assist with investigations over the suspect’s cause of death.
Corbette said Prosper, 36, was arrested by CID officials on February 13 after it was reported that the suspect was in possession of stolen goods. The police stormed his residence and arrested him after an undisclosed amount of cash as well as electronic gadgets which he could not sufficiently account for were found in his residence.
The acting chief of police stated that Prosper was taken to the DCFH for medical treatment on February 15 when he complained of feeling unwell. He said the suspect was release back to police custody after a doctor had attended to him, but later than same evening, Prosper became unresponsive in his cell and was rushed to DCFH where a doctor confirmed him death at 11:40 pm.
“That same evening, I appointed the Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a Kerwin Prosper,” Corbette revealed. “On February 18, 2021, an autopsy was conducted on the body of the deceased by the government pathologist, Dr. Alarcon.”
Corbette said he got the autopsy report on March 2 and felt that an external body should be called in to conduct an independent autopsy on the deceased. The acting police chief said he contact the Minister of National Security, Rayburn Blackmoore, for help in reaching CARICOM IMPACS through the Regional Investigative Management System (ROMS) for assistance with the postmortem so that the circumstances surrounding Prosper’s death could be more transparent. Corbette said IMPACS intervention will make the investigation process more transparent and will make the Dominican police impartial in closing the case. He said police brass will ensure that justice is done and that public confidence and credibility in the police force is not misplaced.
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