Photo Courtesy of The Times
Jasmine Hartin, the daughter-in-law of a British billionaire, faces manslaughter charges after shooting a Black police officer to death.
The New York Post reported that the shooting occurred on May 28, when Hartin was drinking and hanging out with San Pedro Superintendent Henry Jemmott, one of the top officers in Belize.
The socialite claimed she was giving the cop, a friend of the Hartin family, a massage when he asked her to hand him his gun.
As she passed over the pistol, the gun accidentally discharged, fatally shooting Jemmott.
Police reported that the officer was shot behind the ear and to the head, and his body was found in a river when emergency responders arrived on the scene.
When law enforcement arrived, Hartin was discovered with blood splattered on her clothing.
She was “deeply distressed,” “shaking,” and uncooperative until police threatened to charge her with cocaine possession which scared her into telling her side of the story.
According to the publication, the cop’s family believed he was too “skillful” to have been shot by accident.
“He had a gunshot behind his ear like an assassination,” said his sister Cherry Jemmott. “He was a top cop. I don’t know how he let down his guard to be shot with his own gun.”
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An investigation is being conducted to determine whether Hartin and Jemmott were playing with the gun while intoxicated.
Hartin was arrested and put in a small cell in San Pedro, and during an arraignment on Monday, May 31, she was charged with manslaughter by negligence, which holds a maximum of 25 years in Belize.
According to the Daily Mail, Hartin was denied bail, faces a maximum of five years, and may avoid jail altogether if she pays a $10,000 fine.