More than nine days after four-year-old Saniyah Obrien was shot and killed in Manchester, police have arrested and charged a 25-year-old man in connection with the attack.
The accused has been identified as Oneish Copeland, who also goes by the alias “Dabba”. Superintendent Carey Duncan, head of the Manchester Police Division, confirmed that Copeland, a labourer from New Wales in the parish, is now in police custody.
Copeland has been charged with multiple offences, including murder, wounding with intent, two counts of shooting with intent, malicious destruction of property, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition, and using a firearm to commit a felony.
According to Superintendent Duncan, investigations indicate that Copeland was involved in the attack on the child and her father in Land Settlement near Royal Flat. However, Duncan stressed that police strongly believe Copeland did not act alone and are actively working to find other individuals who were involved in the shooting.
The attack occurred on February 8 at approximately 4:20 p.m. Police reports indicate that the four-year-old and her father were inside a black Toyota Voxy when gunmen approached the vehicle and opened fire on them.
The pair were found suffering from gunshot wounds and was transported to the Mandeville Regional Hospital. The child was pronounced dead when she arrived, while her father was admitted.
Duncan noted that Copeland’s arrest and charge brought significant progress to the division’s case clearance rate. According to the superintendent, Manchester recorded 5 murders since the beginning of 2026, and 4 of those homicides have been solved. Additionally, police solved five older murder cases that date back to previous years. He highlighted that the total number of cleared cases this year, therefore, stands at nine, which indicates a 180 per cent clearance. He also commended the detectives in his division for their hard work.