Police probe deepens in Sligoville after two JCF officers shot
Three men questioned and released as investigators seek suspects 'Chemist' and 'Nineball'. A 10-year-old girl shot in the operation remains in intensive care.
Three men released as Sligoville investigation intensifies
Three men were questioned and subsequently released by investigators on Wednesday as police stepped up their probe into the deadly operation in Sligoville, St Catherine, during which gunmen shot and injured two members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), jamaica-gleaner.com reports.
Two of the men were picked up at their homes during an early-morning police operation in the Five Miles area of Sligoville. A third, who maintains his innocence, later turned himself in at the Spanish Town Police Station, accompanied by Bishop Rowan Edwards, a prominent clergyman in the area.
A police source told The Gleaner that investigators are searching for two men known by the aliases 'Chemist' and 'Nineball', both believed to hold information relevant to the ongoing probe.
Lawrence alleges threats and intimidation
One of those questioned, construction worker Michael Lawrence, alleged that he has been a target of police attention since the Sligoville incident and that he now fears for his life. Lawrence is the common-law spouse of the grandmother of a 10-year-old girl who was shot and injured during the operation.
He alleged that officers raided his home on the morning of the incident, forced their way in, and threatened to kill him — despite his insistence that he had no knowledge of any wanted man.
"A bag a police come a mi house the same morning that the operation was going on and kicked my door in and threatened to kill me even when mi tell them sey mi nuh know nothing about wanted man," Lawrence said following his release.
Lawrence further alleged that officers returned on Wednesday and took two of his relatives into custody, prompting him to conceal himself to avoid them. He said he contacted his mother, who reached out to Bishop Edwards, who then accompanied him to the station.
"I am not a wrongdoer and I want to clear my name and want the police dem to leave me alone," he said.
Edwards confirmed he had accompanied Lawrence to the station after receiving a call from Lawrence's mother.
"I was called by his mother to accompany him to the police so he can clear his name. He maintained his innocence, so I was just doing my job," Edwards told The Gleaner.
Neighbour alleges warrantless search
A neighbour of Lawrence also alleged that officers searched her home during the operation without producing a warrant. She said she was ordered to put her children outside before officers entered.
"Dem knock on the door and say police, all mi hear is bam bam bam on the door and dem ask me to put mi pickney dem outside," she said.
"Of course mi frighten. Mi in fear because mi have mi children here, a the first police come knock on my door," she added.
A police source stated that the men being sought by investigators are known to frequent the area. The police have denied any wrongdoing.
Shot child remains in intensive care
Andrea Campbell, grandmother of the 10-year-old girl injured during the operation, said the child has begun speaking but remains in the intensive care unit. Doctors have given the family a preliminary assessment indicating that recovery may be incomplete and that the child could be left with a permanent disability.
Lawrence's only stated connection to the incident is his relationship with Campbell, whose grandchild's father was killed during the operation last month. Concerns about the circumstances surrounding the police operation and the treatment of residents in the community continue to mount.
Source: Google News JM — Crime