The Shooting Death of Henry Jemmott, One Year Later
Henry Jemmott
Tomorrow marks one year since the shooting death of senior cop Henry Jemmott, which occurred in San Pedro on May twenty-eighth, 2021. His family continues to mourn his death, as his alleged killer, Jasmine Hartin goes back and forth to court for a charge of manslaughter which was slapped on her following the incident. This weekend, a Discovery Plus documentary is scheduled to be aired on the incident where Hartin for the first time admits to lying initially and gives a recount of what happen on that tragic morning. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Speculation remains abound about what really happened on that pier in San Pedro that morning when senior cop, Superintendent Henry Jemmott was shot dead. But tonight, the woman accused of the manslaughter of the well-known police officer is breaking her silence once again on what transpired on that tragic morning. Jasmine Hartin says Jemmott wanted her to get comfortable handling a gun.
Jasmine Hartin
Jasmine Hartin, Charged with Manslaughter
“I had the magazine. I was just emptying it and reloading it without it being in the weapon. It was like a game to see how fast I could with the magazine and the bullets – take them out and then put them back in. And then when he took the bullets and put them to his left, I had the empty magazine, fully empty and I popped it in and then I put it down. We were sitting on the side of the dock, both of our feet were over the dock. So I had the weapon on my right, the bullets to the left of Henry.”
Immediately following the fatal shooting on May twenty-eighth, 2021, news spread like wildfire that Superintendent Jemmott was dead, shot in the head as he socialized on a pier in San Pedro with a woman, who was later identified as Jasmine Hartin.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police [File: May 28th, 2021]
“Mister Jemmott and a female were socialising on a pier somewhere in San Pedro; this was after 12:30 a.m. thereabouts, which would be during curfew time when one single gunshot was heard. Upon investigating, police found the female on a pier and she had what appeared to be blood on her arms and on her clothing. And inside the waters, right near the pier, police recovered the lifeless body of Mister Jemmoth, with one apparent gunshot wound behind the right ear.”
As the night unfolded, the Canadian national says that she ended up behind Jemmott massaging his shoulders and then while attempting to handover the gun to the senior cop, the gun went off.
Jasmine Hartin
“I lean forward, I pick it up, I am trying to get the magazine out; I am still sitting, he is still sitting. I am using the moon to see and I am pushing to get the magazine out and it was like it was stuck. I don’t remember touching the trigger at all. Next thing I know, the gun goes off.”
It contradicts initial statements made by Hartin that a gunman in a kayak had fired shots in their direction. She says she lied out of panic.
Gerri Rella
Gerri Rella, Owner, Mata Rocks Resort & Pier
“One of the grist stories that we heard that was attributed to Jasmine was that there was a paddle by shooting that someone paddled by in a kayak and shot him.”
Sister of Henry Jemmott
“Everything was so wrong. The media said that oh she said it was a passing boat and someone fired a shot.”
Jasmine Hartin
“Once the adrenalin settled down, once I calmed down, once everything hit me then I was like no, I remember what happened. It was an accident.”
Sister of Henry Jemmott
“Jasmine Hartin changed her stories. Now who knows when she is actually telling the truth? Who can believe her?”
