Alleged gang leader shot dead by police on North Street, Kingston

Amani Malcolm, 26, known as "Bling Dawg", was killed in an armed confrontation with police on North Street. Residents staged fiery protests overnight and into Saturday morning.

Protests erupt in Kingston after police kill One A Way gang leader

Amani Malcolm, a 26-year-old man identified by police as the leader of the One A Way gang in Denham Town, Kingston, was shot and killed during an armed confrontation with officers on North Street on Friday night, the Jamaica Observer reports. Protests broke out at the scene and at Kingston Public Hospital hours later, and continued into Saturday morning.

Police said a mobile patrol team spotted Malcolm at approximately 10:40 pm at the intersection of North Street and Pink Lane, after noticing a bulge at the front of his waistband. An officer approached and instructed him to raise his hands.

According to the police account, Malcolm pulled a firearm from his waistband and pointed it at the officer, who discharged his service pistol in response. The weapon fell from Malcolm's hand, but he then seized the officer's M16 rifle. A struggle followed in which both men fell to the ground and Malcolm gained control of the rifle.

Fearing for his life, the officer fired his service pistol again at Malcolm and managed to break free, taking cover while colleagues came to his assistance. Police said Malcolm remained on the ground, pointing the M16 indiscriminately, before a second officer fired a single round from his service pistol. The rifle then fell from Malcolm's grip.

Both weapons were recovered at the scene. The illegal firearm Malcolm had drawn from his waistband was a Glock 26 pistol loaded with five 9mm rounds.

A bystander was also shot and injured during the incident. Malcolm was transported to Kingston Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A large crowd of residents gathered at the scene and later outside the hospital. Protesters set fire to an immobilised vehicle along the lower section of North Street that same night. A second demonstration followed at around 8:45 am on Saturday. Police said a man who refused to participate in the protest was assaulted and set alight by an alleged gang member; he was admitted to hospital.

Police records show Malcolm had accumulated a series of charges over several years. He faced a rape charge from October 2022, firearm and ammunition charges filed in the St Mary Division last March, and a robbery with aggravation charge from January 2025. Earlier charges dating to 2019 included shooting with intent and shopbreaking and larceny. He had been deported from Mexico in October 2024.

Source: Jamaica Observer