By Latrishka Thomas
The wheels of justice continue to turn in the case of La-Shanti Cooper, the daughter of a police officer who is accused of causing the death of 18-year-old Keane Gregoire through dangerous driving.
On Thursday, Cooper appeared before Magistrate Dexter Wason in the St John’s Magistrates’ Court, where the prosecution presented several pieces of evidence that may be used if the case proceeds to trial.
The case was committed to the High Court’s next assizes.
The incident in question occurred on May 18, 2023, on All Saints Road near the John I Martin Race track.
According to police reports, Cooper was driving a Toyota BB motor car at high speed when she lost control of the vehicle.
The car reportedly skidded off the road and collided with a column before being propelled to the opposite side.
Gregoire, who was a passenger in the vehicle, sustained multiple injuries and died in hospital the following day. The Nut Grove teen was a student at the Antigua Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education.
Cooper, who was 19 at the time, reportedly initially denied being the driver and claimed that the actual driver had fled the scene.
Following a thorough investigation, Cooper’s mother, Tulip Horsford, a 20-year veteran of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, was charged with allowing her daughter to drive her vehicle without proper insurance.
Cooper, who only held a learner’s permit at the time of the accident, faces multiple charges, including driving without a licensed driver present, driving without L plates, driving without insurance coverage, driving without a licence, and causing death by dangerous driving.
With the case now committed to the High Court, Cooper will remain on bail to await her arraignment before a judge. If she pleads not guilty, the case will proceed to trial.
Attorney Michael Archibald is representing Cooper in this matter.
