Victim: Raziel Jeffers was among shooters

Trial by judge alone began on Monday for Raziel Omar Jeffers, who is accused of murdering Marcus Leon Ebanks on the evening of 8 July, 2009, in West Bay. 

Jeffers is also being tried on four counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, following a change in the law allowing other charges to be tried with murder if they arise from the same incident. 

Jeffers pleaded not guilty to all charges and, after an opening address by Andrew Radcliffe for the prosecution, Adryan Powell was the first witness. Adryan testified he saw Jeffers at the scene and that the defendant was one of the shooters. 

Mr. Radcliffe said the Crown’s evidence, in addition to eyewitness testimony, also will include gunshot residue on an item taken from Jeffers’ pocket after his arrest, cell phone tracking, and Jeffers’ confession to a friend. 

The trial is expected to last four weeks. Justice Charles Quin is hearing the matter. 

On Monday, Adryan, now 17, testified via video link, in part because he is confined to a wheelchair after being shot and is paralysed from the waist down. The courtroom facilities in George Town do not easily accommodate those with disabilities. 

Adryan said he was in a neighbour’s yard off Bonaventure Road with other people: Marcus Ebanks, Rodney Aaron Ebanks, Jose Sanchez, and Al Martino Bush, who is called Joe. Jose was in a chair facing the road; the others were sitting on a foundation facing the house, not the road. 

Jose just got up and started running toward the house. Joe said “Watch out for those guys” and then he ran. Adryan said he looked and saw the two shooters running into the yard. He got up and started running and they started shooting. He took about five steps and then fell, having been shot in the side and shoulder. As he fell he was hit in the face. 

Adryan said he was lying on his stomach and couldn’t get up, but when he looked up he saw one of the shooters about 5 or 6 feet from him. The man had a shirt around his face from the bridge of the nose down and a second shirt around the top of his head down to his eyebrows. His hair was in braids. When he saw the shooter, the first thing that came to his mind was that it was Raziel: “I know how he runs; I played against him in football,” he told the court. 

After the man ran past him, he spun around and one of the shirts dropped from his face.  

“I looked at him for about two seconds – he looked at me,” the witness said.  

Then he pulled up the shirt and ran off, Adryan said. He said he never saw the second man after seeing him come into the yard. 

Asked what he did then, Adryan told the court, “I put my head down on my arm like I was dead. I wanted him to think I was dead. I never wanted him to shoot me again.  

Adryan was scheduled to be questioned on Tuesday by defence attorney Peter Champagnie, who is instructed by attorney Peter Polack. 

During his opening address Mr. Radcliffe, who is assisted by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Trevor Ward, told Justice Quin it seemed that Jose Sanchez was the principal target of the attack. The Crown did not have to prove motive, but he would say there was conflict between groups from the Logwood and Birch Tree Hill areas of West Bay, and there was bad blood between Raziel and Jose because of their relationships with the same women. 

“It was simply good fortune that prevented Jose Sanchez and Joe Bush from being shot and all being killed,” he said, noting that Jose and Joe had both reached the safety of the house while the others were gunned down. Rodney Ebanks, who had damaged his ankle playing football a few weeks earlier, was on crutches and had little ability to escape, Mr. Radcliffe said. A bullet fractured the large bone of Rodney’s lower leg and there were other wounds as well.