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Nestor Vasquez Jr’s funeral service was held this afternoon at 3:00 at the Divine Mercy Catholic Church. As we have reported, Vasquez was brutally beaten to the head by another detainee last week Thursday afternoon at the Queen street police station. Police placed Vasquez, who was mentally ill, in the same cell with Colin Francis who had been charged for attempted murder after stabbing psychiatric nurse Augustina Elijio. Francis is considered a violent mentally ill man.

Now as you saw the Vasquez family have spoken out about their loved ones tragic death and are calling for better care and support for persons living with mental illness. The Vasquez family have retained attorney Leslie D. Mendez  and are looking to “pursue any and all legal remedies available in this case.â€￾ At this moment, Colin Francis is on remand for the attempted murder charge until July 29th.  He is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.

The Vasquez family will also continue investigating for themselves by speaking to the other detainees and reviewing the statements presented by the officers on duty at the time of the attack to find out exactly what happened in the cell.

Finally, the Mental Health Association sent a release this morning stating “The MHA is deeply saddened by the chain of events that led to the untimely and brutal death of Nestor Vasquez Jr.  We commend both Jules Vasquez for his candidness in discussing his brother's battle with mental illness and Commissioner Chester Williams for the transparency of his response. The MHA further recognises that although most people suffering from mental illness pose no threat to others there are occasions when persons experiencing an acute psychotic episode do pose such a threat. 

Families are naturally reluctant to call for police assistance if they fear that their relative might not be safe in police custody. The Police who have to deal with such situations are often ill-prepared for the task. It continues by saying “The MHA therefore recommends that the Commissioner of Police collaborates with the Ministry of Health to make this training a compulsory part of the syllabus at the Police Training School and also schedules training sessions for current officers. We further recommend that strict protocols be introduced to ensure that the officer on duty calls for professional medical help in an appropriate manner. The MHA is also exploring ways to update our archaic laws relating to mental illness with a view to safeguarding the human rights of all persons while at the same time improving mechanisms to ensure the safety of both the mentally ill and the safety of the general public.â€￾