Cop charged in 2022 fatal shooting undergoes committal hearing

The case against Constable Waeyvel Phillips, the policeman charged with the May 13, 2022 shooting death of Kadmar Beadle in Montego Bay, St James, is scheduled for mention in the St James Circuit Court on May 22, following his committal hearing on Monday.

Phillips, who is represented by attorney Martyn Thomas, is charged with murder and using a firearm to commit a felony contrary to Section 25(1) of the Firearms Act. He had his bail extended following Monday's court sitting, where the matter was mentioned before parish court judge Diahann Bernard.

Speaking briefly with THE STAR regarding Phillips' case, Errol Chattoo, the director of complaints at the Independent Commission of Investigations' [INDECOM] western bureau, said that the matter is slated to undergo case management.

"The matter was committed to the Circuit Court, and the judge extended his bail, and the matter is set for mention on 22 May. It is set for a case management conference to take place," said Chattoo.

The allegations against Phillips are that on May 13, 2022, He shot and killed Beadle, 33, at a bar on Jarrett Street in Montego Bay. Phillips was said to be off-duty at the time of the incident.

Investigations into the reported incident were carried out by INDECOM, and a file was submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which ruled that Phillips should be charged in relation to the killing.

Phillips, who was out of the island at that time, was formally arrested and charged upon his return to Jamaica seven months later.

Phillips made his first appearance in the St James Parish Court on November 18, 2024, where he was granted bail in the sum of $400,000. He made another court appearance on December 4 that year, prior to his committal hearing on Monday.