Officer killed in Sligoville ambush; Police Commissioner vows no retreat

Corporal Trevoy Shaw was killed and another officer critically wounded in a pre-dawn gun attack in Sligoville, St Catherine. Commissioner Blake pledged to intensify operations against criminal gangs.

One officer dead, another critical after Sligoville gun attack

A police corporal was killed and a second officer critically wounded during a pre-dawn operation in the Five Miles area of Sligoville, St Catherine, the Jamaica Observer reports. Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake has since vowed that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will not stand down in its campaign against criminal gangs.

The deceased has been identified as Corporal Trevoy Shaw, a member of the JCF's Special Operations unit. A fellow officer who sustained gunshot wounds to the head was taken into surgery, while several other police personnel and a young girl also suffered injuries during the confrontation. The girl was described as being in serious but stable condition.

At approximately 5:15 am on Friday, a Special Operations team entered the Five Miles area in search of wanted men. While clearing a building on a premises, officers came under heavy gunfire from two men who had barricaded themselves inside a house along with other occupants. Both gunmen were shot dead during the exchange.

Blake said the officers had been pursuing a high-risk target linked to violent crime when they encountered sustained gunfire.

"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," the commissioner said.

In a strongly worded statement, Blake condemned the attack and warned that those responsible would face consequences.

"Let there be no misunderstanding. The Jamaica Constabulary Force will not be intimidated. We will not retreat and we will not relent," he declared.

"Those responsible and the criminal networks that enable them will be pursued, dismantled and be brought to justice. There can be no community ceded to gunmen, no safe haven for gangs, no territory beyond the reach of the law," Blake added.

The commissioner acknowledged the toll the incident had taken on the force while insisting its mission would continue.

"We expect every officer we deploy to return home safely. Today, that expectation was shattered," he said. "We mourn with the family of our fallen colleague and stand firmly with the family of our injured member."

Blake also pledged that operations targeting violent criminal networks across the island would be intensified in the wake of the attack.

"Our resolve is undiminished, our duty unchanged. We grieve, but we will act," the commissioner declared.

Source: Jamaica Observer