An alleged suspect in the fatal shooting of four-year-old Saniyah O’Brien was gunned down on Saturday in Land Settlement, Manchester. The suspect was one of two men who were shot at a bar near Royal Flat, where the child was killed in February.
Police identified both men as 21-year-old Damien Edwards, also known as ‘Damie’, and 30-year-old Yankieni Shaw, otherwise called Yankee. Both men were residents of Manchester; Edwards lived in the area of Melrose Gardens, and Shaw, a farmer, was a resident of a community called Comfort.
While investigators did not specify which one of the men was a suspect, they said one had previously been taken into custody in connection with the child’s murder. However, the individual was later released on pre-charge bail after detectives said there was not enough evidence at the time to formally charge him.
Police reported that the men were killed around 3:50 pm, when gunmen drove up to a bar, exited the vehicle and began shooting at them. They sustained several gunshot wounds. When they were transported to a nearby hospital, Shaw was confirmed dead. Edwards did not die until later while undergoing medical treatment. Following the shooting, the area has been tense. Police presence has increased in the community as well as neighbouring areas.
The community was already shaken earlier this year when four-year-old Saniyah was killed, and her father was injured during a shooting incident on February 8. According to investigators, the child was inside a vehicle with her father and two other children. The vehicle was parked just a few metres away from where Saturday’s attack occurred. The child was shot dead when a gunman ambushed the vehicle in a horrendous attack that police say was meant to kill the father.
Authorities had also arrested another man, Oneish ‘Dabba’ Copeland, connected to the shooting. Copeland, 25, is a labourer from New Wales in the same parish. He was charged with murder, wounding with intent, and conspiracy to commit murder and remains behind bars. At the time of his arrest, police said Copeland did not act alone and indicated that some of the violence may involve individuals operating outside Jamaica.
