By FARRAH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAN fired six warning shots after a police officer tried to arrest him for pulling out a gun in a packed nightclub, a court was told.
Corporal 3219 Patrick Rolle said he was at Prime Time nightclub on October 12, 2019 when he heard a commotion going on near the DJ booth.
He said when he went to the area to investigate, some patrons who knew him as an officer pointed out Deon Burrows who he claimed was standing up with a firearm in his hand.
Burrows, who is currently on trial before Magistrate Samuel McKinney, denies the allegation.
When Cpl Rolle gave evidence, he said on the night in question he saw Burrows with a “short” firearm that looked like a pistol.
“The firearm was clutched in his right hand and he was holding it down to his side,” he said. “The club was well-lit and there was no obstruction to my view. I approached him and said: ‘You don’t need to carry on like this in the club.’”
Cpl Rolle said he then invited Burrows outside to “have a conversation”. He said once they left the club, he identified himself as an officer and told the accused not to move.
“When I said ‘Police, stop!’ he raised his hand with the firearm and I heard five to six loud bangs and saw sparks coming from the gun,” the officer testified.
“He then ran along Recovery Way but (as he fled) a police bus approached and engaged him, then I heard several more shots discharged.”
Cpl Rolle said when he caught up to the scene, he saw uniformed officers watching Burrows, who was lying on the floor about four feet away from the firearm that he saw him with in the club.
Yesterday, Burrows was not represented by an attorney. When he was given an opportunity to cross-examine Cpl Rolle, he asked the officer if he could remember what he was wearing that night.
When he said that he could not, Burrows asked Cpl Rolle how he was able to identify a firearm in his hand if he was not even sure what he had on.
The accused also noted that most nightclubs are not well lit, and said he found it strange that Cpl Rolle would suggest differently.
The case continues on September 16.
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