Stop order put out on constables who illegally discharged weapons in party
Published:Tuesday | December 13, 2016 | 4:24 PMJason Cross
A stop order has been placed on four police constables formerly attached to the Traffic Division when they appeared before a St Catherine parish judge yesterday to answer to charges that include unlawfully discharging their firearms in an incident in which one man was killed.
The four men were each offered $100,000 bail, which they accepted.
Constables Dumar Ducally, Leeshawn Billings, Noel Ingram and Davion King were brought in yesterday by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) after a warrant was issued for their arrest.
They were also charged with wilfully giving a false statement in an attempt to mislead INDECOM.
Allegations are that on January 24, the constables were at a party in Crescent district in St Catherine. A song selection sent the patrons into a frenzy, and a number of them discharged firearms in a gun salute. Subsequently, it was discovered that a Romeo Marks was shot. He later died.
The officers will return to court on March 6.
In the meantime, Assistant Commissioner of Police Wray Palmer is urging police personnel to obey the country's laws.
"One of the values of the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) is that we will obey the laws of the land at all times. The fact of the matter is that it is illegal to discharge any firearm within 40 yards of any public space without lawful justification," Palmer told The Gleaner yesterday.
"If you do that, then you would have committed an offence, for which you are likely to be charged," Palmer added, without making any specific reference to the incident involving the four officers.