Probe under way into police shooting of cabbie
Published:Wednesday | April 6, 2022 | 12:13 AM
The Independent Commission of Investigations has been commenced a probe into the shooting of a taxi operator by the police on Dawkins Drive in Portmore, St Catherine, on Tuesday.
Several taxi operators withdrew their services shortly after the incident, inconveniencing commuters who were stranded in the vicinity of the Portmore Mall.
Reports are that about 10:20 a.m., a team of cops attempted to arrest the cabbie when he was shot in the shoulder.
The incident was captured on amateur video and shows the operator on the ground bleeding.
He was hospitalised.
However, his injury is not considered life-threatening, said Senior Superintendent Christopher Phillips, head of the St Catherine South Police Division.
The senior cop noted that while the shooting and subsequent protest were unfortunate, the incident provided an “opportunity to build out a stronger relationship” with the taxi operators. The cabbies welcomed the decision to meet with the police at a later date. Unfair traffic ticketing and abuse are expected to be high on the agenda.
Displaying a ticket for $2,500 for parking within a prohibited distance from a bus stop, a taxi driver lamented being targeted by the police up to four times per day.
“Dem nuh give we nowhere to park. We nah obstruct nobody. We a taxi man; we a nuh gunman,” the cab driver, who withheld his identity, said.
Phillips acknowledged that the transport operators’ grievances, including concerns about parking accommodation and personal security, have been aired for some time.
Regarding Tuesday’s incident, Phillips said that preliminary assessments were that a vehicle that allegedly hit a cop from a motorcycle last week was intercepted. A tussle ensued between the driver and the cop. The policeman sustained injuries, Phillips said. No details were given about those injuries.