A police constable, directing traffic in Woodbrook during the early hours yesterday, may face criminal charges after he shot and seriously wounded a La Horquetta man who was seated in the back seat of a Nissan Wingroad vehicle.

The officer, who is assigned to the E-999 Response Unit, was at the time directing traffic at the centre of the roadway at the corner of Ariapita Avenue and Alfredo Street, when a vehicle overtook a line of traffic and struck the lawman on the hand. Police said the incident occurred around 2.15 a.m.

According to a police spokesman, the officer drew his service pistol, turned in the direction of the car, which turned right unto Alfredo Street, and fired a shot. The bullet entered the vehicle and struck Andre Baptiste in the back.

Baptiste, 30, of Phase Five, La Horquetta, was seated on the back seat of the vehicle when he was shot. After Baptiste screamed out indicating he was shot, the driver took him to the Port of Spain General Hospital where he was treated and warded in serious condition.

Police sources said it was difficult for the officer to justify why he fired a shot at a vehicle which was fleeing and did not pose an immediate threat.

ASP Anthony Bucchan of the Anti-Corruption and Investigations Bureau (ACIB) is probing the incident.

This is the second shooting incident involving police officers in the Woodbrook community over the past week. On May 20, officers from the CCTV Unit, located upstairs the Besson Street Police Station, shot and killed one of two men who officers claimed pointed a gun at them when they responded to a report that the men were attempting to steal a motor vehicle. —Akile Simon