Family Turned Away From Police Complaints Department
Attorney Carlos James has initiated formal legal proceedings against the state following what he describes as a “shocking and alarming” incident where a citizen, Lowie Mercury, was shot multiple times by a police officer on hospital grounds,.
At a press briefing held on June 24, 2026, James revealed that Mercury, a resident of Redemption Sharpes, was shot between seven and eight times at close range by a uniformed officer of the Special Services Unit (SSU) while seeking medical attention,,.
The shooting occurred on the evening of March 29, 2026, around 8:00 p.m.,. According to James, Mercury had visited the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) to seek urgent treatment for injuries sustained in a prior incident in Vermont.
While in a corridor of one of the hospital wards, Mercury was approached by a security officer and told to leave. Mercury reportedly refused, stating he would not depart until he received medical care. The security guard then enlisted the help of an SSU officer stationed at the facility. James alleges that the officer approached Mercury, “cranked his firearm,” and discharged several rounds into Mercury’s body,.
The attorney emphasized that Mercury posed no threat to life and did not resist the officer, characterizing the event as a “highly reckless use of lethal force”.
The physical toll on Mercury has been severe. He sustained gunshot wounds to both his upper and lower limbs. Following the shooting, he underwent emergency life-saving orthopedic surgery and remained hospitalized for five weeks until his discharge on May 5, 2026.
Mercury appeared at the press briefing in a wheelchair, unable to walk or use his right arm,. James noted that a bullet remains lodged in Mercury’s right leg and that he requires further corrective surgeries to regain mobility.
Speaking briefly at the briefing, Mercury expressed his distress, saying, “I want justice for what happened to me. I’m feeling like my rights being affected like I don’t have none no rights”. He also made a public plea for blood donations to facilitate his upcoming surgeries.
On June 24, 2026, James dispatched a formal statutory notice of intended civil proceedings to the Attorney General. The planned lawsuit will seek damages for:
Assault and battery through the disproportionate use of lethal force.
Negligence regarding the discharge of a firearm in a public medical facility.
James also raised serious concerns regarding the transparency of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF). He claimed that when Mercury’s family attempted to lodge a formal complaint at the Police Public Relations and Complaints Department, they were turned away,. An officer allegedly told the family a statement could not be taken because the matter had already been mentioned to a senior ranking official,.
“We have to ask the question, are members of the [police force] hiding this matter from the public?” James asked, noting that the shooting was not widely known and had received no prior media coverage.
In addition to the civil suit, James has filed a formal criminal complaint with the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions,. He is demanding a rigorous investigation and the preservation of all evidence, including CCTV footage from the hospital and police firearm discharge reports.
James concluded by questioning the proportionality of the officer’s actions. “What will possess a right-thinking trained experienced police officer at close range… to unleash not just one or even two shots… but at least 7 to eight bullets across the body of a citizen?”. He maintained that while most officers serve well, “bad eggs” must be rooted out to ensure public safety.