Westmoreland officers cleared in 2013 triple killing after judge directs acquittal

Two police officers accused in the disputed fatal shootings of three men from Westmoreland more than a decade ago left court without conviction on Wednesday, after the trial judge instructed the jury to deliver not-guilty findings in the closely watched matter.

Constables Damane Campbell and Kenroy Hinds, who had served with the Westmoreland Police Division, were cleared at the Home Circuit Court in Kingston when the judge accepted no-case submissions from their lawyers at the close of a trial that ran for four weeks.

Each officer had faced three murder counts linked to the 2013 killings of brothers Andrew and Tristan Brydson and their cousin Kingsley Green in Shrewsbury, Westmoreland.

At the time, the force said the three died in an exchange of gunfire after officers, acting on intelligence, moved against armed suspects in the area. An assault rifle and a handgun were said to have been recovered after the incident.

That account drew sharp pushback locally. People in Shrewsbury and neighbouring Lacovia held days of demonstrations and rejected the official narrative.

The officers were later charged following a probe by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).

In court, defence counsel said the Crown had not put forward enough proof to secure convictions. The judge agreed and directed the jury to acquit both men.

Campbell’s legal team comprised Peter Champagnie, KC, Samoi Campbell and Sayeed Bernard. Hinds was defended by Jacqueline Samuels Brown, KC, and Zara Lewis.