Was Micah Goodin Really Detained for 36 Hours?

Kenyon Tillett

Also speaking on the matter, in his capacity as an attorney representing one of the men involved in the shooting, was OJ Elrington.  Contrary to what the Commissioner of Police has stated on record, Elrington says that Micah Goodin was not detained for thirty-six hours.  In fact, he says that when he arrived at the Queen Street Police Station around nine a.m. on Saturday, Goodin had already left the precinct.

OJ Elrington

OJ Elrington, Attorney-at-law

“On this occasion, I actually was retained by the family of Mr. Kenyon Tillett over the weekend, and so I have a firsthand account of what exactly happened, at least according to the police.  Myself, along with my senior attorney-at-law, Ms. Sharon Pitts, went to the police station.  She was there before me, I got to the police station at a little bit after nine a.m. on Saturday morning.  I spoke, we both spoke with the investigating officer at that time. He informed us that Mr. Micah Goodin, according to him, at that time, at best had already been released.  Again, there are questions as to whether or not he had ever been detained because numerous accounts from members of the family who are outside the police station said that he had been traversing in and out of the police station.  Nobody who is ever detained, you can traverse in and out of the police station as you would like.  The investigating officer, when he told us that, I relayed to him, well if it is that you released Mr. Micah Goodin and our client has already given a statement, then could you afford him the same courtesy to allow him to be released.  I will give you my personal undertaking as an officer of the law and an attorney that if you wish to charge him, I will return him to the police station for you to charge him.  [It] always happens, Mike [Peyrefitte] knows this.  The officer said no, he cannot do that because he has to get instructions from his higher-ups before he releases this person.  This is beyond him.  That is why I found it very disturbing when I heard my friend, I still maintain that he is my friend, my colleague at the bar, and the Commissioner of Police say unequivocally that Mr. Micah Goodin was in police custody for thirty-six hours.  He, again, might have been misinformed that Mr. Kenyon Tillett was not forthcoming.  Mr. Kenyon Tillett gave a statement to the police.  He gave them a statement, a statement is his account of the incident.  The police insisted that they wanted to do a further statement.  He said, I have already given you my account of the events, there is nothing further I can tell you.”