Members of the Jamaica Constabulary are once again being accused of wrongfully using lethal force after the fatal shooting of alleged gunmen in St Toolies, Manchester. While police claim the men were armed, residents called for justice on Monday.
The residents who spoke out were related to one of the dead men, 23-year-old Byron ‘Gary’ McDonald. The two other deceased are Teshan Porteus and Rosheed Johnson. The relatives disputed the police account of the deadly incident, which suggested that the men initiated a shootout. According to the grieving family, the men were killed in cold blood.
McDonald’s mother, Sheree Samuel, explained that her son and the other men had recently moved to the area because they were displaced after Hurricane Melissa destroyed their homes in October. They reportedly lived in Cotterwood, St Elizabeth, before relocating to live with family in St Toolies.
Samuel questioned why the police chose to kill him rather than detain him. “Why don’t you take him and carry him in? What kind of law is this? I want justice for my pickney.” She went on to accuse the police of planting a gun on her son, insisting that he never had a weapon.
Samuel’s grief was echoed by McDonald’s sister. The sister shared that her last conversation with McDonald was on Sunday when she invited him to have dinner at her place. She described her brother as a young man trying to rebuild his life after being displaced. She added that he was also expecting a child in March.
According to her, McDonald was “not a killer”. She indicated that she would find it more believable if the police were targeting him as a scammer, but to end his life as he was a murderer was baffling. She suggested that police often targeted young men based on appearance. McDonald, with what his sister described as his bleached complexion, dressed in a certain style with his friends. His sister believes his looks made him a target.
Police, however, painted a different picture. Superintendent Carey Duncan, head of the Manchester police, said officers opened fire after shots were fired at them first. He said the police, acting on intelligence, went to a residence around 12:20 p.m. with a search warrant.
However, before lawmen could execute the warrant, they reportedly came under fire from a group of men who exited the building with firearms. He said the police returned fire, and the men retreated inside. When police entered the house, more shots were fired by the armed men, and police again exchanged gunfire.
Duncan said that the men sustained gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead after arriving at the May Pen Hospital. Authorities also recovered a shotgun and a .38 revolver at the scene. He confirmed that the Independent Commission of Investigations and other relevant bodies have been notified, and investigations are ongoing.
Duncan emphasised that while Manchester is welcoming to visitors, it is not a refuge for criminal activity. “If you have any criminal intention, I would suggest that you find somewhere else to go,” he said.