DEADLY TRAP

A 10-year-old child was allegedly used as bait by gunmen on Friday morning to lure police officers into a deadly ambush during an operation in the Five Miles area of St Catherine.

According to reports, the confrontation began about 5:15 a.m. in Mount Moreland, a hilly community off the Sligoville main road, where a Special Operations Branch team was searching for wanted men.

The officers reportedly came under gunfire from three men who had barricaded themselves inside a house with other occupants, including the child, a six-month-old infant, and their mother.

According to reports, after some time, one of the three men reportedly held the 10-year-old outside and indicated that the occupants wanted to surrender.

Two police officers reportedly moved towards the building to retrieve the child, but they were met with a barrage of gunfire and were injured.

Corporal Trevoy Shaw, who had only recently been promoted to the Special Operations Branch, was subsequently pronounced dead at hospital, and his colleague officer was admitted for treatment.

GRAZED BY A BULLET

A third cop was grazed by a bullet and later treated and released from hospital. A member of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) was also injured.

Three men – one of whom is believed to have been an associate of the target of the operation – were also shot and later pronounced dead at hospital.

Two of the deceased have been identified as 51-year-old Errol Hussey and 35-year-old Lamond Sutherland, both of Mount Moreland. The identity of the third man has not been disclosed up to late Friday evening.

The 10-year-old girl reportedly managed to flee but was later found with gunshot injuries and taken to hospital. She was said to be in serious but stable condition up to late Friday.

The police said they recovered two firearms – a rifle and a 9mm pistol – at the location.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dennis Brooks said the circumstances demonstrated why the target had been classified as high risk.

“When we described a target as a high risk target this is why. The police were in the process of accessing the space when the incident occurred,” he said while fielding questions from the media.

Brooks said the gunmen deliberately used the child in an attempt to create an opportunity to attack the officers.

He added that the presence of children and a woman inside “put the police in a precarious position in accessing the building”.

Brooks said the men killed during the confrontation were believed to be part of a criminal network operating in the St Andrew North Police Division.

ATTACK CONDEMNED

Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake condemned the attack on his team, saying it highlighted the dangers faced by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as they pursue violent criminals.

“This tragedy lays bare the brutal conditions our officers confront daily pursuing the most violent elements in our society so that Jamaicans can live without fear,” he said, adding that the JCF mourned with Shaw’s family and stood firmly with the families of the injured members.

He warned that the police force would not be intimidated by the attack.

“Those responsible and the criminal network that enables them will be pursued, dismantled, and brought to justice,” Blake stated.

In a statement, the Independent Commission of Investigations said it conducted extensive work at the scene for some eight hours. It said more than 70 service weapons belonging to the JCF and JDF, along with the two recovered firearms, were sealed pending ballistic examination.

Several political leaders and human rights lobby Jamaicans For Justice also condemned the attack on the security forces and expressed concern over the shooting of the child in the operation.

Residents of Mount Moreland remained in shock hours after the deadly stand-off had ended.

One resident, who spoke to The Gleaner, said she had no idea that men capable of such violence were operating in the area.

“This has always been a peaceful community, so I didn’t know that these men were among us,” the resident said.

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com