A 48-year-old Trinidadian named John “Small Brent” Emmanuel is wanted for questioning in the May 10 murder of Nyron Erickson in West End, police said last week as they launched an appeal for any information that may help locate him.
“This individual is considered a serious threat to public safety and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous,” police warned last Thursday in a press release. “He has also been associated with kidnapping, extortion and multiple murders in Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere in the region and should not be approached by members of the public under any circumstances.”
On Friday morning at the Road Town Police Station, Deputy Police Commissioner Kenrick Davis followed up by hosting a press conference on the matter, again seeking tips from the public but providing few new details about the killing or the ongoing police investigation.
“We’re pleading for the help of the public to assist us to get this person into custody,” Mr. Davis said. “We believe that aside from the fact that he’s of interest in the investigation, he poses an ongoing threat to public safety, which affects us standing at this podium, yourself in the audience, as well as persons listening online.”
Mr. Davis said he was heading the press conference because acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool was off island attending a conference with senior members of other police forces in the region. He added that he had been in close contact with her during her time away.
Police are asking anyone with information about the whereabouts of John “Small Brent” Emmanuel — also known as Brent Dain Danglade — to contact the Intelligence Unit at 368-9339 or the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-8477 (TIPS) locally or 284-800-8477 from overseas. Information can also be provided by calling the police emergency number 911 or non-emergency number 311. Police described Mr. Emmanuel as 5 feet, 7 inches tall; light-skinned; and slim. He is believed to be armed and dangerous. (Photos: RVIPF)
Police tight-lipped
During the question-and-answer portion of the press conference, Mr. Davis stayed tight-lipped about the killing, but he told the public that police are prepared for any eventuality.
“I cannot speak to any known intelligence or information about reprisals,” he said. “We’re doing all we can, working with the community to reduce the chance of any residual gun violence from that matter.”
Asked if Mr. Emmanuel had any known associations that might assist the public in the search, Mr. Davis said providing further information would be counterproductive to the investigation.
“Yes, we’ve made progress, but it would be irresponsible for me to delve into that sort of uncertainty,” he said.
Following his refusal to answer the question, Mr. Davis appeared ready to promise a follow-up press conference, but then stopped short.
“But you have our commitment that on a subsequent occasion — we’ve called a conference here, so we’re not adverse to the idea of being open about these things,” he said. “But it would be premature — it would be irresponsible — for me to speak on that at this stage.”
The acting deputy also said the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force had been in contact with regional law enforcers, including United States Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.
Asked if Mr. Emmanuel entered the territory through legal means, Mr. Davis said police were unsure how he managed his entrance.
“Some of the information around Mr. Emmanuel was not known to us until after we triggered the measures that we mentioned earlier,” Mr. Davis said, referencing the RVIPF’s contact with regional law enforcers. “I’m not able to attest to the situation in his home country about whether he’s wanted, but suffice it to say we’re still exploring several lines of inquiry to determine exactly how he came into the territory.”
On Saturday, police released another statement speculating on how they expected Mr. Emmanuel to try to leave.
“We have reason to believe that this suspect may attempt to flee the territory by sea,” they said. “We urgently appeal to the public to assist us in these efforts. Residents with visibility of coastal areas from their homes are advised to monitor for unusual small-vessel activity.”
They also asked anyone working or living near jetties, docks or mooring locations to immediately report any suspicious activity to the police.
“Anyone found aiding this suspect will face severe criminal penalties,” the release added.
‘Upward trajectory’
Before the RVIPF’s plea for residents to assist in their investigation, Mr. Davis acknowledged a rising trend in gun crime.
“Earlier in the year after we recognised that there was this upward trajectory, we augmented our measures,” Mr. Davis said. “We’re thankful to the members of the public who engaged with us to the extent that we had been able to see some result. As a result of what we did over the last several weeks, since January we were able to work to recover nine firearms. This is one more than we recovered in the same period last year.”
He added that police had also recovered ammunition.
“We were also able to recover 397 rounds of ammunition, which is 194 more ammunition than we recovered last year,” he said.
Rise in robberies
Mr. Davis blamed the rise in crime on a small segment of the population, but he acknowledged that it potentially affects all law-abiding citizens.
As an example, he cited a “steep rise” in gun-related crimes.
Last year, he said, the territory had six robberies in the first four months of the year.
“Three of these were gun-related, but in the same period this year we have seen 19 robberies, 17 of which involved the use of firearms,” he explained. “This means that robberies have increased by 14 incidents.”
Mr. Davis said shootings seemed to occur most often near nightclubs and bars.
Drug recovery
Besides ongoing patrols, the police have also seized drugs recently, though Mr. Davis did not say when.
“So far, we’ve recovered 40 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $4 million. We’ve recovered over $20,000 in bulk cash,” Mr. Davis said. “We’ve traced, identified and recovered several bits of evidence — which I cannot name at this stage — in relation to several of these investigations, and we have arrested a number of individuals who remain in custody as we speak.”
Public warning
While Mr. Emmanuel remains at large, residents are “being urged to lock and secure their vehicles, boats or vessels, and homes to reduce opportunities for victimisation or their properties being accessed or used by this individual,” police said last Thursday.
Mr. Emmanuel is also known as Brent Dain Danglade, according to police, who said that he might still have travel documents in that name.
He is 5 feet, 7 inches tall; light-skinned; and slim, according to a wanted poster issued by the RVIPF.
