A Coroner’s Court jury ruled yesterday that a man who died at the Southern Police Station in February was unlawfully killed.
The decision was 4 to 1.
Aaron Rolle, 20, died from a ruptured intestine caused by blunt force trauma to his abdomen on February 9, two days after his arrest on charges of escape and armed robbery. Constables 2126 Akiel Smith and 2468 Carl Smith, who said they had to forcefully restrain Rolle when he attempted to escape from the second floor of the station through a louvered aluminum window, were placed on administrative leave after his death.
The jury did not apportion any criminal or civil liability with its verdict as its role was to determine the circumstances surrounding Rolle’s death.
The officers were not taken into custody as the jury’s verdict is advisory and non-binding on prosecuting authorities.
