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Securing PassaPassa Plaza and Foxy’s Plaza
4.85.
About 2.00 p.m. 2 Lt. D. Trowers used a V150 armoured vehicle to
try and seize the PassaPassa Plaza because of the heavy and sustained gunfire
his platoon was encountering while trying to advance on foot.
4.86.
About 4.40 p.m. despite encountering gunfire from the vicinity of
Oxford Mall and Rose Lane, Foxy’s Plaza was secured. PassaPassa Plaza was
secured about 4.43 p.m.
4.87.
Maj. Henry testified that, after taking the MPM complex about
5.00 p.m. and, while securing Foxy’s Plaza, he observed an unidentified man,
dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, aiming a gun at him. He fired shots at the
man who fled. He also came under fire from the Tivoli Gardens area when he
reached the last two steps at the top of Foxy’s Plaza. We saw a video of Maj.
Henry and his company under fire at Foxy’s Plaza.
The Night of 24 May
4.88.
Throughout the night of 24 May and into the early hours of 25 May,
all of the section leaders of Bravo reported gunfire. The most sustained fire
came from the areas of Oxford Mall, Denham Town and Matthews Lane.
Intermittent fire from other areas ceased on the morning of 25 May.
4.89.
Maj. Henry gave an indication of the severity of the attacks on the
security forces when he estimated that their progress from the Coronation
Market to Foxy’s Plaza was so slow that it took them approximately 3 hours to
advance 500 metres. He described the resistance of gunmen over a 48 hour
period as “the most coordinated I have seen in my experience”.
“The firing was selective and very focused. That said to me
that there was coordination. In general, I would say that
the gunmen were very determined and well prepared.”