Police have reportedly fatally shot a contract killer and another armed man during a tense standoff early Monday morning. The wanted killer was identified as 36-year-old Ricardo Hemmings, an alleged trigger man and enforcer for the infamous Kings Valley Gang, which operates out of Grange Hill, Westmoreland.
Hemmings had been a person of interest since 2016 and had managed to evade capture for years, allegedly by altering his appearance.
He also adopted new aliases along the way, including “Junior,” “Black Oil,” and more recently “Chin Mix” due to his noticeably bleached skin. Hemmings was linked to numerous shootings and murders across multiple parishes.
Police say that an operation was carried out around 4:00 a.m. on July 7.
The operation involved officers carrying out a search in Lime Hall, St Ann, based on intelligence suggesting Hemmings was in hiding at a two-bedroom house. When officers approached the premises, two men reportedly tried to escape law enforcers through the back.
One of them allegedly began shooting at the police, who then opened fire and shot the man during the exchange. The other escaped into the nearby surroundings. A third man was inside the building and reportedly opened fire at officers when they continued to search the property.
The armed man was injured when law enforcement returned fire. The wounded men were pronounced dead after arriving at the St. Ann’s Bay Hospital. At the scene, police recovered a .45 calibre pistol with three rounds. While Hemmings was positively identified, the identity of the second man was unknown as of Tuesday. The deadly shooting is now being probed by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).
According to reports, after Hemmings came up on the police radar as suspect in illict activities leading officers to attempt an to arrest. However, when police tried to apprehend him in Hanover in 2016, the incident ended with Hemmings reportedly firing at officers before escaping. In the months that followed, he was named as the suspect behind a shooting incident in the parish that left one man injured.
By 2017, Hemmings was officially placed on the police wanted list after police discovered that he was also involved in a murder in Grange Hill that claimed the life of Ricardo “Manny” Stewart. His criminal record continued into 2020, when he was again implicated. That time, Hemmings was linked to a mass shooting in Grange Hill. The incident caused four people to sustain injuries. He was also a suspect in multiple investigations across various police divisions.
The Kings Valley Gang has been under increased scrutiny, with its reputed leader, Derval “Lukie” Williams, and an associate sentenced late last year for attempting to murder a witness while in custody. Hemmings, meanwhile, had remained elusive until Monday’s operation brought his years on the run to a violent end.