7 hours ago
1
Shane Superville
Senior Reporter
Ten days after tradesman Atiba Shallow was gunned down in Mt D’Or, his grieving relatives are demanding urgent reforms to what they describe as slow and painful processes faced by families of murder victims, after his autopsy was finally completed yesterday.
Shallow, 45, was gunned down on May 1, after going to a nearby jobsite for work as a roofer.
The relatives said the delays in Shallow’s post-mortem were partly due to police officers who forgot to bring the necessary documents on one occasion, which led to the procedure being delayed to a later date.
The relatives visited the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday as they were told that Shallow’s body would be brought to the centre for his autopsy to eventually be completed.
Both women, who asked not to be named, said they had identified Shallow’s body since May 6 and were not pleased with the slow pace of the process, noting that such delays only prolonged the family’s grief as they were hoping to resolve the process before the end of the week.
“We think they should have at least two pathologists on duty, and to have better seating and facilities in place here (at the centre).
“People are already grieving. We have been waiting ten days now. This system is in a mess.”
Another relative said that she hoped that she would not have to experience the murder of a loved one again, not only because of the grief associated with the tragedy, but also because of the time-consuming procedures associated with waiting for paperwork to proceed with arranging one’s funeral and insurance policies.
Commenting on Shallow’s murder, the relatives said they were unable to confirm whether or not he had been threatened by criminals before, insisting that he focused only on his trade as a roofer and supporting his family.
One relative noted that given the fact that Shallow was killed, seemingly without warning, she felt it was evident that criminals did not discriminate in who they targeted.
“He was always a loner; he never used to move with anyone. Even if someone threatened, he may not have said anything.
“There’s no age for murder anymore. Those fellas (criminals) just trigger happy, and if they don’t like and if they find you out of timing, that’s how easily it happens. That’s how it happens these days.
“They took a man who has his children. Even if you had a problem with him, you all could have fight it out, you gone to get a gun and come back and deal with him?”
One relative said Shallow was the father of two children, ages four and six, who were taken out of the neighbourhood by relatives for their safety and also to help them in processing the tragic nature of the situation.
Guardian Media sought a response from the TTPS on whether the delays in Shallow’s autopsy were due to officers forgetting documents.
A spokesperson for the TTPS corporate communications unit acknowledged receipt of the questions and confirmed that Shallow’s post-mortem was completed yesterday, but was unable to respond to any other questions on the delays.
Officers of the Region II Homicide Bureau of Investigations are continuing enquiries.
English (US) ·