Police shot and killed a man said to be a key figure in two of Western Jamaica’s criminal organisations. Twenty-eight-year-old Romaine Murray was fatally shot after he reportedly aimed a gun at officers during an operation in Grange Hill, Westmoreland, on Wednesday.
Murray, who also goes by the aliases ‘Bartez’ and ‘Forty Ball’, was described as a major violence producer. He was reportedly a high-ranking member of both the Kings Valley Gang and the Speculation Gang.
According to the Jamaica Observer, citing police reports, officers went to an apartment in Jerusalem Mountain around 5:30 a.m. with a search warrant.
The police say Murray reportedly fled the building with a firearm and pointed the weapon in their direction, which led to them discharging their weapons at him. He was declared dead after arriving at the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital, prompting a probe by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). The gun Murray allegedly pointed at the police was recovered, per the report.
According to reports, Murray had two residences, one in Top Lincoln and the other in Jerusalem Mountain. Murray, who was out on bail on the condition that he report to the Savanna-la-Mar Police Station twice a week, was a suspect in an ongoing 2024 murder case involving the deceased Devantae “Wacky” Brown. Police also shared that Murray was carrying out violent operations on behalf of imprisoned gang leader Derval “Lukie” Williams.
In addition, police named Murray as a key player in the recent kidnapping of a teacher in Pell River, Hanover. Investigators believe Murray orchestrated the May 8, 2025, abduction and supplied weapons to the men involved, who were fatally shot by the police during an alleged confrontation in Hanover. The teacher was rescued without harm.
According to the Jamaica Observer, police sources also described Murray as the “most trusted trigger man” in the Kings Valley Gang and a key player in their operations. While he was only formally charged with one murder, investigators believe he was connected to at least four others, as well as several shootings.