THE three people killed by police on Saturday were all shot from behind, their autopsies revealed.

At the scene of the incident at the corner of Chacon Street and Independence Square, Port of Spain on Thursday, relatives of those killed showed copies of their death certificates.

Fabien Richards, 21, and 17-year-olds Leonardo Niko Williams and Isaiah Roberts were fired upon by police who received a report about a stolen car.

Richards, Williams, Roberts and three others were chased from Diego Martin to Port of Spain where they were killed. After their car was forced to stop, police claimed there was shootout resulting in three dying.

Two survivors were arrested, and a 15-year-old boy who was shot was taken to hospital. The wounded boy was shot in the right arm and grazed on the abdomen. They were all released from police custody.

The autopsy reports said Williams died from multiple gunshots wounds to the back, right buttocks and forearm. Roberts died of multiple gunshots to the back of the head and right lower back. Richards died of multiple gunshot wounds to the back of the head, neck and upper limbs.

Police claimed a Smith and Wesson pistol was found in the car.

The killings caused massive protests on Monday with Sea Lots residents blocking off the east- and west-bound lanes of the Beetham Highway as part of several protests in and around Port of Spain. Parts of the Priority Bus Route and Nelson and Duncan streets were also blocked with debris which was set on fire. The protest lasted about five hours.

Asked about the findings of the autopsies and the effect it may have on the investigation, lead investigator Snr Supt Brandon John said there is none, as the investigation is on going.

"This does not change the investigation, it will be an unbiased one. The autopsies does not show the whole picture, it shows part."

After the protests, acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob said the shooting was recorded via CCTV cameras, but the footage would not be made public at this time.

Asked about this, John said his team received the videos but had not yet reviewed them up to Thursday evening.

Relatives: Those boys were innocent

After being consoled at the scene, Nicole Richards said the findings by pathologist Dr Somu Sekhar Gajula at the Forensic Science Centre contradict the police's version of how her son Fabien died..

'They were children... These children are innocent! These children are babies!"

She said Fabien was an entrepreneur who, with the help of his sister, bought and sold clothing, watches and other accessories. She said he left home on Friday to attend a birthday party, his first real outing since the pandemic.

Roberts' grandmother Michelle John said he was supposed to travel to the US on Thursday to join his mother. She too said Roberts was a budding businessman who started a parlour at the family's Sandy Trace, St Barb's Road, Laventille home.

John said Roberts was a self-taught baker and cook who baked the best tasting corn pie she ever had.

Rich