Former police officer Everton Francis is acquitted by High Court jury of charges stemming from his second shooting incident

A former senior police officer, Everton Francis, was acquitted of a serious charge by a High Court jury today, Wednesday, November 30.

Francis had been charged by the Police with wounding with intent – an incident that stemmed from a shooting outside the home of a Jolly Hill, Bolans, resident – and had pleaded not guilty.

He was alleged to have shot Kyle Maxima on December 20, 2018, when he reportedly saw him lurking outside the home at around 11 p.m. that night.

Allegations were that Maxima had been seen in the area the night before, and this aroused suspicion among villagers.

It was alleged that he was trying to enter the dwelling house – and was therefore considered an intruder – when he was shot at by Francis.  The former police officer was arrested on December 23, 2018, for the act.

This was not Francis’ first brush with the law or criminal trial. In fact, it was not his first shooting incident, either.

In 2010, Francis was convicted of unlawful wounding after he was arrested and charged for shooting Jamaican national Damien Watson three years earlier, in March 2007, in Jennings.

After the incident, Watson was confined to a wheelchair on account of the injuries he had sustained in the shooting.

In this case, Francis had alleged that Watson had attacked him with a cutlass and, therefore, he was defending himself.  However, the evidence presented at trial proved otherwise, and he was convicted by a jury.

The Jamaican man was later awarded $250,000.

When the Court was apprised of this first shooting incident and that Francis owed Watson $24,000, his bail for the second incident was revoked.