Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard on Monday gave the order to charge the seven with murder following investigations by a team of detectives headed by ACP Raymond Craig, head of the Professional Standards Unit.
One of the officers is a woman, who is the mother of a four-month-old baby.
The development has shocked some police officers. One senior officer told the Trinidad Express, "I can't believe this has happened. It's a sad day for the Police Service and a huge embarrassment within the past decade since this incident occurred during the execution of their duties."
However Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Anti-Crime Operations, Mervyn Richardson, told the paper the law must take its course. He was confident that police will continue to execute their duties without fear or favour.
He said: "I want to assure the public that we are here to protect and serve them with pride and this what we will and will continue to do.
Richardson did not wish to comment on the particular but he said that as a general rule "we will not tolerate any rogue officers".
He added, "We have effective systems in place to deal with allegations of misbehaviour and misconduct against our officers and this process will continue as we seek to regain full confidence in the public."
The killings sparked a week of fiery protests in Moruga with villagers demanding action against the officers. Eyewitnesses contradicted the official police report that the three friends ired on the police and officers returned fire, killing the three.
The killings sparked a week of fiery protests in Moruga with villagers demanding action against the officers. Eyewitnesses contradicted the official police report that the three friends ired on the police and officers returned fire, killing the three.
They stated that the officers "executed" the three and that there was no exchange of gunfire as claimed by the police.
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