Portmore residents traumatised by cop's killing

Residents of Epsom, Eight West in Greater Portmore, St Catherine, said that they felt traumatised and vulnerable yesterday, following the shooting death of Constable Nicaldo Green at his home in the community on Tuesday night.

Green, 29, was assigned to the Stadium Police Station in the St Andrew Central Division. He was reportedly attacked and shot at his home in Eight West around 10 p.m. by men who stole his licensed firearm before fleeing.

"It is very sad to know that it happened so close to us and that he was somebody who was supposed to be protecting us who went down like that. It is really sad," said Sharon Rose, principal of the Epsom Basic School, located metres from Green's home in the community.

No signs of forced entry

Police reports did not say whether the men barged into Green's home and shot him, but yesterday, his yard gate was cordoned off and his front door taped shut by sleuths. There were no visible signs of forced entry to the premises, which was unoccupied when The Gleaner news team turned up.

"I don't have a clue what they (gunmen) did. We go to bed early in the night, and last night I heard four shots. Some people say they heard more," recounted a woman who lives next door to Green's home. "I was so shocked I couldn't move. Thank God the children didn't hear it 'cause I know they would have been traumatised!"

"This area is really not a community where we have these kinds of things, so it really shake up everybody," said the woman.

"Anything that go on here is police we rely on to rectify it, so when you have a policeman get killed like this, worse he is so young, it really leaves the people paranoid," said Ramone Daley, another resident of Eight West.

Yesterday, Rose said that the school had not been affected by the shooting but noted that several parents expressed concern about their children's safety.

Criminals are more daring - police commissioner

There was also a sombre mood at the Stadium Police Station in St Andrew, yesterday, where some police personnel were reportedly counselled after the killing of their colleague, Constable Nicaldo Green. "It done happen already, and we can't feel good because he was almost like family. Some people take it worse than some people," said a policeman who asked not to be named.

Yesterday, Police Commissioner George Quallo said that the shooting came as a shock to the entire constabulary and that the attack on Green's life represented an attack on the State. He said that a top-level investigation had been launched into the killing.

Difficult circumstances

"It is apparent that criminals are more daring and emboldened in their intention to attack innocent citizens and the institution of law and order," said Quallo.

"Even as we dedicate our lives to serving citizens under difficult circumstances, our officers continue to face menacing criminals who are not afraid to attack, maim, and kill them without remorse," he said, calling on all Jamaicans in the fight against a crime wave that has claimed more than 1,000 lives since the start of the year.

People's National Party General Secretary Julian Robinson said that he visited Green's workplace and offered support to his grieving colleagues.

"Attacks of this nature on personnel or institution of law and order are worrisome signs. (He) urged the officers to be strong and to remember Nicaldo as a young cop filled with principles and passion for service," read a release from Robinson's office yesterday.