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Twelve months have passed since PC Clarence Gilkes said goodbye to his nephews before reporting for duty for the last time.
Today, long after Gilkes' name has slipped from the public's eye, his family continues to live with the trauma of his death.
He is remembered as a dedicated policeman, bravely carrying out his duty.
But the facts surrounding his demise tell a disturbing story which in some ways remain unclear even one year later.
Gilkes, 44, was shot and killed when he and a team of police officers confronted Jehlano Romney on a staircase on the steep hillside of Richplain, Diego Martin, on the afternoon of April, 22, 2022.
While the official account given by fellow officers at the time claimed Gilkes was shot by Romney, an autopsy revealed he was shot in head from behind by a bullet from a police gun.
On August, 6, 2022, two of Gilkes' team mates PC Kristian Genty and WPC Crystal Williams-Bowman were jointly charged with shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Genty was additionally charged with Gilkes' murder.
[caption id="attachment_1012377" align="aligncenter" width="504"] PC Kristian Genty charged with murdering PC Clarence Gilkes. - TTPS[/caption]
Romney, 29, of Upper Richplain, was murdered on November, 13, 2022 in Morvant but the case against the officers will proceed.
Speaking with Newsday at their family's La Resource Road, D'Abadie, home last month, Gilkes' older brother, Mervyn Gilkes, reflected on the bizarre nature of his brother's death.
Even after his death, images of the younger Gilkes are on the wall and mantelpiece. The programme for his funeral is stuck to a rack with greeting cards, while a T-shirt with his image worn at the funeral hangs in the living room.
In all the pictures, Gilkes is frozen in time, wearing his police cap and grey tunic.
For Mervyn, the pain linger one.
"Look at the way the man died.
"I sit down and think it was a gunshot to the back of my brother's head he got you know.
"He didn't die right away.
"I sometimes wonder what his last words were."
Gilkes was the second youngest of five children.
After graduating from the Arima Central Secondary School, he worked several jobs to support himself and his family.
[caption id="attachment_1012368" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mervyn Gilkes with a memoriam signed by police officers of his brother PC Clarence Gilkes at his home in La Resource, D'Abadie on March 23. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
He started off as a bag boy for the neighbourhood grocery before he went on to work as an On the Job Trainee (OJT) in Mt Hope, while studying for his master's degree in Business Administration.
Gilkes' accomplishments and ambition have always been a source of pride for their family, he said.
It was this ambition that led Gilkes to join the police service in 2011 which he hoped to use as a stepping stone to get a law degree.
"He always said he wanted to learn the work.
"He had a lot of court matters and he used to go to court and he wanted to learn law so he was using that to get experience."
Recalling the day his brother was killed, Gilkes said he was not even rostered to be at work and was about to get a haircut when he was asked to report to duty.
He said while Gilkes had no children but had a close relationship with his nephews ages 15 and 19-years-old who helped him run errands. They were the last to see him alive.
"They were there and they helped him finish shave his head before he left and went to work.
"Before he left, the last thing he said was 'Allyuh be careful on the road.'"
"It's those children who used to go to his house when he have anything...sometimes he would call me and always have something for them.
"He used to help them with books and stationery, whatever they needed."
Gilkes said his nephews are still traumatised from the death of their uncle, a man who they considered their mentor.
He said one of his nieces was also affected by the death as she is now interested in becoming an attorney to fulfil her uncle's dream.
"I hear her talk sometimes, she talks about studying law and revisiting the case of his death one day."
Like his niece, Gilkes says he also has questions about his brother's death.
[caption id="attachment_1012376" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Police officers carry the casket bearing the body of PC Clarence Gilkes at the Tunapuna Public Cemetery on April 30, 2021. - JEFF K MAYERS[/caption]
Referring to several letters he wrote to the police service after Gilkes' death seeking for further details, the elder Gilkes says he has yet to receive a response.
"They could have at least written to say they couldn't give us that information."
When Newsday visited Richplain, Diego Martin, on the afternoon of Gilkes' death, residents lined the street, trying to catch a glimpse of the crime scene.
Police set up a road block several yards away from the staircase where Gilkes was shot, restricting access to people who were not residents to that area.
At the time little information on what happened was available.
It was only when then police commissioner McDonald Jacob visited the scene he told reporters Gilkes was shot by gunmen.
Several residents, including Kadaffi Romney, the mother of Jehlano Romney, challenged the commissioner's account.
Gilkes' team mates and Romney, the man who police claimed shot at them, had the answers.
Romney escaped from police and remained in hiding for almost a week, fearing for his life.
Gilkes said further updates on the circumstances of his brother's death in the weeks that followed were also difficult to get.
"First of all it was a lie about how he died.
"We just had to keep up to date with the news to try and find out what really happened because nobody from the police came and told us exactly what happened."
In the days that followed Gilkes family could only listen and wait for the truth.
On April 26, 2022 it was revealed that Gilkes was shot from behind with a police-issued bullet, two facts which directly contradicted the version of events reported by police.
Gilkes said while the truth of his brother's death was unpleasant, it was necessary for him and the rest of the family to begin their grieving process.
"The first thing they came out and said was that the man (Romney) shot him and killed him and if it wasn't for the ballistics and the autopsy, we might still believe Romney killed him.
"It's not like he died from covid19 or that he was sick, it's the way he died.
"They say it was an accident but I don't know. I can't say because I wasn't there.
"But the fact of the matter is he was shot at the back of the head."
Police later said Romney was no longer considered a suspect in Gilkes' death but still had to be questioned by police on the incident.
Romney and his attorney at the time Criston J Williams visited the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region I office early on the morning of April, 28, 2022.
But even after these developments in the enquiry were made public, the narrative of Gilkes being killed by gunmen persisted.
At Gilkes' funeral on April, 29, 2022, then Snr Supt of the Western Division Kelvern Thompson during his tribute continued to claim that the team was fired upon.
Gilkes said he recalled hearing this and was confused by the remarks as the findings of his brother's autopsy were then publicly known.
"It wasn't just me but I had a lot of family who were there and they were very upset with what he said because I think the information already came out that it did not happen like that.
"If almost everybody in TT knew that, how come he (Thompson) didn't know that?"
On May 6, 2022 three police officers – an acting corporal and two police constables – who were part of the team with Gilkes on April 22, 2022 were suspended and Thompson was also sent on vaction leave.
A statement from the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) on June 30, 2022 claimed that the police abused their authority and deliberately misled acting commissioner Jacob.
While the enquiries led to the arrest and charges against of two officers, Gilkes said it is of little comfort to the family as his brother is still gone.
He also says that the murder of Romney has not given him much encouragement.
For now, Gilkes says the loss of his brother is a constant struggle as he is often approached by friends who mistake him for Clarence owing to their striking resemblance.
"A Sunday morning I was here and I heard someone was calling me.
"She saw me and said 'I thought you dead,' she said 'It wasn't you who used to work in the grocery?' I said no, that was my brother.
"The woman stand up outside and cried.
"The other day again a man was passing down the road and said 'Aye, you know how long I ain't see you,' he walk back and said 'It wasn't you who used to work in the grocery?' I said no, that's my brother, he died.
"It's just something that I have to deal with."
But more than being mistaken for his brother, Gilkes says Clarence's warmth and personality would always be missed.
Clarence would have turned 45, on March 11. He will be remembered him for his strong sense of duty to his family, noting that between work and court appearances, he would still find the time to visit or at least call.
The elder Gilkes said despite being one of the younger siblings, Clarence still felt responsible for their well-being and recalled the irony of one of their last conversations.
"The last thing I told him was that I was the eldest so I may die first and if anything happened to me, he should take whatever money I have saved and share it up among the children. He said no problem and look he come and died now."
On the issue of police accountability, Gilkes says while it was difficult to trust the police given his experiences, he wanted to encourage all officers to do what was right.
He also called on Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher to do all that she could to protect the integrity of the service.
"If Erla Harewood-Christopher decides that she is one of the good ones and she wants to weed out the bad officers then she has to start it.
"Don't just say it.
"People like to see action and they'll realise this lady is serious."
It is always painful dealing with the death of a younger sibling.
While most of Gilkes' family may have accepted the danger that comes with choosing a career in law enforcement, they never envisioned his death they way it occurred.
"It had a big psychological effect on me.
"Sometimes I replay the incident over and over in my head.
"It's not a nice thing to know you were a part of an organisation that talks about serving and protecting and accountability and then this comes and happens."
For Mervyn Gilkes, the road to recovery may be a long one, but he is prepared to make the journey.
He only hopes the authorities are willing to do the same.
Responding to Newsday's questions via WhatsApp, officials from the police public information unit offered their support to Gilkes' family and said the police service placed the health and well-being of officers and their families as a major priority.
Referring to the police Employee Assistance Programme and the Victim and Witness Support Unit, the officer said such units work with families to offer support and counselling.
"Any loss of an officer, moreso in the line of duty can have a very traumatic and demoralising effect on not only his or her's relatives but colleagues as well.
"The circumstances under which PC Gilkes met his death made the situation even worse.
"The organisation regrets the loss of Gilkes who was a valuable contributor in the fight against crime.
"It has been a year since PC Gilkes lost his life and our hearts still go out to his family and colleagues.
"We deeply regret that this incident ever occurred."
Police also reported that to date 1,120 body cameras were issued to officers.
Of these 30 were issued to the Western Division Task Force where Gilkes was assigned.
Asked if Gilkes' death prompted the police service to review the way it engaged with suspects, the officer said that training was an ongoing exercise where deficiencies in procedure were addressed and improved.
"Police-citizen contact must be continuously reviewed if we are to maintain professionalism in the service we provide.
"How our police officers act and respond in circumstances is guided by policies and standard operating procedures.
"Our Use of Force Policy is one such policy.
"Where there are gaps identified training and retraining is implemented.
"We do understand the dynamism of crime and it is critically important that we employ the best practises as we continue to build competence of officers."
 
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