Jamaican police officer charged with murder after shooting woman at protest

Constable Andrew Wilson denied bail after allegedly shooting Latoya Bulgin, 45, during a protest in Granville, St James. CCTV footage proved key to the rare murder charge.

Jamaican cop denied bail over fatal shooting of woman during protest

Jamaican authorities have charged a police officer with murder following the killing of a 45-year-old woman during a protest in Granville, St James — a rare step that theguardian.com reports came after CCTV footage circulated widely on social media.

Constable Andrew Wilson appeared in court on Wednesday and was denied bail, according to the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom). A further hearing is scheduled for mid-June.

The victim, Latoya "Buju" Bulgin, was shot on 17 May in north-west Jamaica during a demonstration against police violence. The protest itself had been triggered by the killing of 17-year-old Tjey Edwards — identified by local media as Bulgin's cousin — in a police shooting days earlier.

What the CCTV footage shows

In the footage, Bulgin's minivan is seen stationary at the roadside as several passengers climb out. Police officers stand nearby. As the vehicle begins pulling into the road — with one side door still open — an officer positioned a few feet in front of it draws a handgun and fires at the driver. Screams are audible. Several bystanders are seen running.

Officers are subsequently seen dragging Bulgin's limp body from the vehicle, placing her on the ground, then loading her into the back of a police pickup truck. No attempt to administer first aid is visible in the footage.

'Without that footage, this conversation would not be happening'

Indecom stated on Wednesday that the "prompt collection and analysis of video evidence" during its independent investigation "assisted in establishing an objective understanding of this fatal shooting incident."

Mickel Jackson, executive director of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), a human rights group, told Radio Jamaica News last month: "Without the availability of that CCTV footage, we would not be in the position to even be having this conversation and we would not perhaps have seen the JCF high command responding."

No body camera was worn by the officer accused of shooting Bulgin. Both Indecom and JFJ have been calling for stronger accountability measures in cases of fatal police shootings, including mandatory body-worn cameras.

Political and international reaction

The PNP Women's Movement, a branch of the opposition People's National Party, said the footage "raises serious questions about the use of lethal force by members of the security forces." The group also described as "disturbing" the manner in which Bulgin's body was handled after the shooting, stating the conduct "falls below the respect that should be afforded to our citizens by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force."

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights denounced the killing and called for a "prompt, independent, impartial and transparent inquiry."

Broader context of police shootings

Indecom has recorded 140 fatal police shootings so far this year in Jamaica, a country of approximately 2.8 million people. Last year, JFJ staged a protest against what it described as a "significant and alarming" increase in such incidents.

With reporting by the Associated Press.

Source: Google News JM — Crime