IN his missive, ‘It is all up to Hughes and Nagamootoo Now’ (SN Nov 19), Mr. Norman Browne incorrectly described the fatal Linden shooting(s) as “acts of senseless state murders.”  But that has not been confirmed.

  In fact, the opposite appears to have been confirmed based on reports published in the media — The state was not involved in the killings or the violence. The opposition organised the rally that became violent leading to deaths and injuries.
As Mr. Browne correctly penned, a Commission of Inquiry(COI) was agreed upon. The COI sat and listened to many witnesses including the organisers and leaders of the rally that led to the death of the three individuals. The COI has not pronounced on the shooting as yet and the nation eagerly awaits its report. But the media reported that the police and the Minister of Home Affairs were not behind the shooting.
Like Mr. Browne, I too am puzzled as to why commissioners were not brought from England or Canada and why the parties used only CARICOM individuals as commissioners?
However, one positive aspect of the COI was that the AFC brought an expert from Britain to testify on the ballistics test of the bullets and weapon(s) that killed the three victims.  The AFC’s expert exonerated the police, testifying that the bullet found on the victims did not match those used by police – an OJ Simpson moment of “if it (glove – meaning bullet in the Linden matter) does not fit, you must acquit”.
It behooves Mr. Browne and others not to pen false conclusions in the Linden matter or on any other matter. The COI report of the facts will be out hopefully by year-end and at that time we will have a better sense of the facts and the role of the state in the killings.  We must not pre-empt the findings.