Residents in Manchester are furious after members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force shot and killed a man during what police say was a confrontation.
The incident happened on Lucky Street in Knockpatrick, where it appears officers were carrying out an operation on Wednesday.
The deceased, who allegedly challenged the police, was identified by relatives and neighbours as ‘Osah’. He was fatally shot in a house around 6 p.m., according to preliminary reports. Police said they recovered a gun at the scene following the alleged confrontation.
A censored video, seemingly captured by a resident, shows officers carrying the limp body of a man. The body is tossed in the back of the police van before it drives away, leaving a group of wailing residents behind.
According to the Jamaica Observer, some residents are accusing the police of killing the man in an unjust manner. They question the lethal actions of the police and deny that a shootout ever took place.
In a statement from a relative to the media, the deceased was said to be sleeping when the police came. “[He] was sleeping, but the police say a shootout. No shootout, no go so,” the family member told the news outlet.
The deceased was described by his relative as a hard-working man, a farmer, a higgler, and a father. His son, whose age was not mentioned, was reportedly at the scene when he was killed. A relative told the media that the distressed child fell to the ground in tears. The family member said the police took the child away when they departed the area.
“Then carry him away. He did drop down out there, so a [cry]… The little boy doesn’t have any mother, and his father is gone now,” the victim’s family member stated.
Jamaica Observer reported that while some residents declined to give a statement, they were also puzzled by the explanations the police gave regarding how the incident unfolded.
