Angry protesters block roads after teenage boys die in mystery accident

WESTERN BUREAU:

THE FATHER and a stepfather of two teenage boys who were alleged to have died during a police high-speed chase in Westmoreland are among family members and friends left grieving, and who vented their frustrations by mounting roadblocks in the Little London community.

The student of Little London High School, along with his friend 19-year-old Javian Black, a chef of Station Road, Little London, in Westmoreland, were alleged to have lost their lives in a motor vehicle accident as they tried to evade lawmen assigned to that community’s police station.

Those claims have not been substantiated and detectives assigned to INDECOM are carrying out investigations.

“He called me on Thursday, and said, ‘daddy mi a come look fi yuh. Mi a cum dung deh Saturday’, and he didn’t get fi cum because I heard that police killed him Friday night,” said Easton Beckford, the 57-year-old stepfather of 15-year-old Tyreek Frazer.

“Right now I am weak, I don’t know how mi a guh overcome this, because a mi a di only daddy him know,” added Beckford.

He said he is not able to get any information that satisfies him about how his son died, and accused the Little London police for his stepson’s death.

Beckford said he has been raising the boy from he was three months old.

Davian is the youngest of 51-year-old David Black’s six children. He said he was at home on Friday when he received several phone calls informing him that police were chasing his son, who was driving his motorcycle.

“Little after that I heard that they (the police) bounced him off his motorcycle, and drove away leaving him. It’s on social media that I saw him next,” Black said of his son.

“My son is a youth who takes his work seriously. He saved his money and just bought a little bike to take him to work down by Jam West,” Black noted.

Ian Myles, the Jamaica Labour Party councillor for the Little London division and who is employed as a teacher at Little London High School, said Javian is one of his past students.

COMMUNITY ON EDGE

Myles was on hand to provide comfort to the grieving family, saying the incident has left the family and community on edge, which was evidenced by the protests.

“I am very saddened by the entire events I am being told of now. What I am thankful and happy for is that INDECOM has been here over the course of the weekend and they, as an independent body, are looking into the matter,” he said.

Myles said the two days of demonstration ­– where angry residents blocked the main road to express their frustration over the death of the boys – has been chaotic.

“But I am appealing to the residents to be calm and let justice fall where it may,” the Little London councillor urged.

“I want to appeal to the youngsters who are involved in driving motorcycles that the appropriate gear must be worn at all times.”

Moreland Wilson, the member of parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Western, which includes the Little London area, noted that the families are upset because of suspicions that the police are responsible for the accident that caused the boys’ death.

He is appealing to his constituents who may have witnessed what happened to come forward and provide information to the police and to INDECOM.

“We are still unable to piece together the circumstances of the incident that led to the unfortunate incident,” Wilson said.

“The stories we are getting are multidimensional and we really need to get some clarity as to what exactly took place and who was involved and see if it’s required to bring them to justice,” the Westmoreland Western MP added.

According to the Westmoreland Police Division, detectives are now probing the death of two men in a motor vehicle collision on the St Peter’s main road, Little London, in the parish on Friday, March 8.

Reports from the Little London Police are that about 8:45 p.m., on Friday March 8, Javian Black and Tyreek Frazer were both travelling on a Cheetah motorcycle and collided with a motorcar that was travelling in the opposite direction. The driver of the motorcar fled the scene.

Another motorcyclist who was travelling in close by was also injured in the incident. All three cyclists were taken to hospital where Frazer and Black were pronounced dead.

The injured driver was admitted.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com