Clipping Birdie’s wings

Local law enforcers have sought the support of international partners in apprehending the notorious leader of the Bird Nation Gang, Aaron ‘Birdie’ Thompson, who resides in the United States and is believed to be one of the main financiers of gang warfare in the Corporate Area.

Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, chief of the police information arm, said that efforts are still being made to track Thompson.

Thompson, who is originally from Gem Road in Kingston 13, has been on the radar of the Jamaican police for some time, having been flagged as a person of interest in 2016 but reportedly never turning himself in.

Despite his elusiveness, the police say that intelligence suggests that Thompson may be providing financial assistance and other resources to local operatives in his old stamping ground.

A number of recent killings and shootings in the Kingston Western, St Andrew Central, and St Andrew South police divisions have been linked to feuds between the Bird Nation Gang and warring factions.

The police believe the onslaught is for turf.

Addressing a Gleaner Editors’ Forum last Thursday, Lindsay disclosed that Interpol and other agencies may be leveraged to track down Thompson, whom she alleges “is overseas fuelling the problems here and providing support and resources to the local gang”.

WORKING THROUGH CHALLENGES

Lindsay said investigators were exploring the full scale of offences Thompson might have committed here. She said that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions would play a significant role in having persons like Thompson extradited to Jamaica to face trial.

“A lot has been done, a lot still being done, most of which cannot be shared publicly, but it’s one of the challenges we face and continue to work through. We are working through the various connections that we have internationally,” Lindsay said.

Jamaica’s chief prosecutor, Paula Llewellyn, said that Jamaica “has a very high rating” among its critical partners – Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the amended Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act, 2021, commonly called the anti-gang legislation, which Minister of National Security Horace Chang said is key to effectively disrupt and dismantle gangs.

There are 262 active gangs in Jamaica, the majority of them operating in the Corporate Area, according to data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

St Andrew South was the most murderous of the 19 police divisions islandwide in 2020 and continues that ignominious march as at May 29, with 75.

On Tuesday, June 1, the police were called to the scene of a double murder on Rousseau Crescent, Kingston, where the bodies of two men were found.

The Gleaner understands that one of the deceased, believed to be the primary target, was an associate of Thompson’s.

The Major Investigation Division is probing the execution-style killing of both men.

They were shot in the head, reportedly with an assault rifle.

Residents in the area told The Gleaner that factions opposed to the Bird Nation Gang are carrying out deadly strikes at individuals or in communities aligned to Thompson.

A resident of Maxfield Avenue who has migrated to the United States is concerned about the tensions blanketing Kingston 13 and fears that the situation could get bloodier after the recent attack.

“Birdie is a dangerous man. Everybody bout yah know, citizens and police. He is the man weh a call the shots and have a bunch a young youths a give away them life,” said the Kingston 13 insider.

“All we a hear a hotel to hotel di man a sleep a foreign. Even in the US people know say the feds a look for him. ... A just US government fi shub him out,” the resident said.

Murders have been trending higher, year-on-year, in the Kingston Western Police Division (45).

Up to May 29, Jamaica recorded 551 murders overall compared to the corresponding period in 2020, with 557.

editorial@gleanerjm.com