Thompson ‘was no saint’
Prime suspect in Chinese killings fatally shot by police
Published:Thursday | July 28, 2022 | 12:11 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
A SAINT he ain’t.
That’s the police’s view on Tommy Thompson, a prime suspect in the murder of two Chinese business operators last December who was fatally shot in an alleged confrontation with cops at his home in Newmarket, St Elizabeth, Tuesday night.
Thompson had been sought by the police for the murder of 48-year-old Haikong Wan, and 53-year-old Shiyun Shun, who were gunned down inside their supermarket at Bellview, St Elizabeth.
“This young man was no saint. He was being sought for the murder of the Chinese couple, and he was also linked to several other armed robberies, murders, and shootings around the parish of St Elizabeth,” one senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Gleaner.
The Newmarket police report that at about 10:40 p.m., a team armed with a warrant went to premises in Bloomsbury district in search of Thompson. The police said that, as they proceeded to enter his house, Thompson attacked them with a machete.
Assistant commissioner of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), Hamish Campbell, confirmed that Thompson had been a murder suspect.
The INDECOM deputy said that, despite the central region having recorded three fatal police-involved shootings in the last three days, there has been a decline since the start of the year.
Jermaine Robinson was fatally shot by the police in May Day, Manchester, on July 25, while 44-year-old Ricardo Bailey, of Clarendon, was also killed by law enforcers.
There have been 66 reported fatal shootings by the police nationally, 10 fewer than the number recorded for the corresponding period.
INDECOM, in a press statement, said that investigations into the three recent police shootings are still at an early stage. The watchdog encouraged persons to share information regarding these incidents by contacting the commission’s head office at 876-968-8875, or via WhatsApp at 876-553-5555.