Man allegedly beheads farmer, kills self

WESTERN BUREAU:

RESIDENTS IN a section of Brighton, St Elizabeth, known as ‘Zoar’ are calling on the Government to establish a unit in the Jamaica Constabulary Force to deal with mental health patients and to train cops in how to interface with them, especially those who are considered dangerous.

The call comes following an incident in the area on Monday night that led to the death of two pumpkin farmers in the community.

Garnet Grey, 57, is alleged to have been killed by 55-year-old Leonard Morgan, also called ‘Ricky’, who was known to have suffered from mental issues.

Morgan, it is suspected, then took his own life by setting himself afire inside his home.

When The Gleaner visited the community yesterday, several residents, including Kevin Galloway, a brother of the accused, had gathered outside Morgan’s burnt-out house.

Reports are that shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday, Grey was standing along the roadway close to his home when he was approached by Morgan, who used a machete to sever one of Grey’s hands and his head.

Morgan reportedly fled the scene, and several hours later, family members discovered his burning house and summoned the fire brigade. After the firemen extinguished the blaze, Morgan’s charred remains were discovered inside the house.

Desmond Brown, a farmer, said the incident could have been avoided if the police were more equipped to deal with mentally ill persons.

“It could avoid. This man was actually an insane person. I can tell you that for sure,” Brown said. “The man deh all over the place threatening his neighbour. ... Him mad fi kill him neighbours and we call the police for assistance to get him to a medical place. We called the police dem and the man resist, and dem leave him.”

Brown said that Morgan and Grey lived like brothers, disclosing that Morgan would supply higglers in the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay with pumpkin.

“ ... If we did get the police assistance from the time when we called, what happen here wouldn’t have happened,” Brown insisted, calling on the Government to train cops to deal with mentally ill persons.

One senior officer in the parish said that there is very little that police officers could do if they have not been adequately trained to handle such persons.

“This is a very tricky situation, more so when these individuals are known to be very violent and the officer that is called has no experience in dealing with these cases,” the senior cop admitted.

“This particular case is one which the police only act as a law enforcer to make sure that the individual does not carry out an unlawful act. And also, if a member of the family is not present, the police cannot take it upon themselves to subdue that individual if he is not breaking the law,” added the cop.

Morgan’s brother, Galloway, called Grey’s death heart-wrenching.

“It is quite heartbreaking and heart-wrenching that he mutilated my good friend,” Galloway said, adding that his brother had previously served two years for child molestation.

Since his return to the community some six years ago, Morgan had reportedly been in numerous altercations with residents.

hopeton. bucknor@gleanerjm.com