Beetham Gardens residents stood silent and watchful as police returned to Third Street yesterday to continue investigations into the death of 23-year-old Christopher Greaves. He was shot and killed by police on Sunday after visiting a neighbourhood shop, two streets away from his home on Fifth Street. The circumstances of his death have not been determined yet as police say he was shot after opening fire on officers.
Residents of the area, however, claimed Greaves was shot with no provocation while returning home after buying items for his children. Residents reacted with fiery protests on the Beetham Highway and the Priority Bus Route which climaxed on Monday when, in response, soldiers fired warning shots over angry protesters. Yesterday showed a drastically different scene, with police questioning residents who seemed happy to co-operate.
In a short interview, Cpl Budrie said the police had returned for the third visit since the shooting to gather information to assist in their investigations. While refusing to comment on the case, Budrie said Monday’s standoff between residents and police was unfortunate. “We understand they were upset and they were passionate but I feel the police should be commended for their restraint as there were no arrests and they were very patient,” Budrie said.
He said police had always had a good relationship with Beetham residents while understanding the community held a certain degree of lawlessness. While police gathered information, most residents stood on corners watching, though some were seen interacting with officers. Greaves’ funeral takes place today at the Open Bible Church, Morvant.