Three more Grenada police officers face manslaughter charges in Oscar Bartholomew’s beating death, taking the number of officers arrested and charged to five.

Consts. Edward Gibson, Shaun Ganness and Ruddy Felix were detained Friday and charged Sunday, a brief police statement said.

Officers Kenton Hazzard and Wendell Sylvester were charged previously after being detained Thursday.

They are in police custody and due to appear before a judge on Tuesday, said Derick Sylvester, the Bartholomew family lawyer.

“This means a lot,” he said Sunday. “It means that police officers in this country will perhaps now realize that they don’t have the authority to beat or kill at will.”

If found guilty, the officers could be fined or sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Sylvester said the five officers have hired lawyers.

According to his family, Bartholomew, 39, had flown with his wife to the tiny Caribbean country to visit his family over Christmas. The Toronto resident was allegedly beaten last Monday by police, after he hugged a woman he mistakenly thought was an old friend.

He died the next day.

Following an uproar over his death, Grenadian Prime Minister Tillman Thomas called for an investigation.

The police officers were detained after investigators interviewed a witness, Brent Collins, who described seeing Bartholomew bound and brutally beaten.

In Toronto, Bartholomew’s family and friends were glad to hear about the new charges. “I think it’s wonderful, the family needs justice and closure,” said Liz Brown, a close friend. “These guys were barbaric and they were brutal. Through the court system, I hope they pay for what they did.”

Brown and Sylvester said police brutality is common in Grenada; what is not common is police officers being taken to task.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw something like this … cops being arrested and charged,” said Sylvester. “This is happening because of the intense media scrutiny.”

Brown, however, said Bartholomew’s family and friends have refused to stay mum over his death. “You had to know Oscar, he was loved by everyone who knew him and he had friends everywhere,” she said. “They are not giving up on him, they won’t let his death be swept under the rug.”

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Hundreds of people gathered outside a police station in Grenada last Wednesday evening during a vigil for Bartholomew.

Bartholomew was originally from Grenada and had lived in Toronto for 10 years.