Mourning a hero

WESTERN BUREAU:

A pall of grief hung over the south Trelawny community of Litchfield on Tuesday, as loved ones of slain Constable Ricardo Fairclough struggled to cope with his murder.

Fairclough, who was assigned to the St Ann Divisional Operational Support Unit, was shot in St Ann’s Bay on Monday night. It is being reported that he was on Bravo Street in the St Ann capital when an armed man shot and injured a woman.

While attempting to assist the woman, Fairclough was shot in the upper body by the gunman, who then fled on foot.

The cop died while receiving treatment at the hospital, while the woman is said to remain in critical condition.

On Tuesday, The Gleaner visited Fairclough’s family in Litchfield, where his brother Wayne bemoaned “the great loss” of his youngest sibling. The 45-year-old police constable, who was a devoted Christian, was also described as a beam of sunlight.

While explaining that he shared a loving relationship with his younger brother, Wayne said that his murder has left him in utter shock.

“This is my first time experiencing something like this. I was married before and my wife died, but it still did not feel like this. This is very shocking,” he said.

Pointing out that the slain officer was born and raised in Litchfield, Wayne recounted that his family was alerted to the news by a niece in St Ann.

“My niece called in the family group and broke the news to everyone at the same time. We heard that he got shot, but it was not fatal, and then about 20 minutes after, we heard that he died,” Wayne said.

Search for brighter future

Wayne explained that his brother, a father of two, moved from Trelawny to the neighbouring parish at age 18 in search of a brighter future.

“He got a work in Drax Hall, where they do polo. He found his wife in St Ann, and they got married in 2001. I don’t remember what year he went into the police force, but he has been working in the St Ann Police Division [for some time],” Wayne told The Gleaner.

“He was our youngest brother, so he was the baby of the family. This is a great loss,” he lamented.

Other relatives of the slain constable have been left devastated.

“People always say that the younger ones will bury the older ones, but now we have to bury the younger one and it is not a good feeling. Right now, one of our sisters is not doing [well]. She wouldn’t even be able to talk to you because she has been crying since last night,” Wayne said.

For family friend Winston Ellis, the memories of time shared with Fairclough will live on.

Ellis told The Gleaner that he knew Fairclough for more than four decades and spoke glowingly of their shared passion for Christianity.

“This is very sad news to hear that he is gone and gone in that form of way. He was trying to save another life and lost his. We used to talk regularly, and I would visit his home to talk. We feel it to our hearts. This is a sad news for everybody. We never a look fi this no time at all,” Ellis said. “Tears come a mi eyes because we grow together. We up and down from basic school.”

A very jovial person

For Karen Fairclough, the slain constable’s sister-in-law, the news was equally devastating.

“I am feeling very disturbed right now. We were not looking for this. He was a very jovial person. He was someone we could talk to. He was always talking about church,” she said.

She said she would never forget his passion for religion.

“I remember the last time we were in church. We had a week of meetings at the Wait-A-Bit Pentecostal Church, and during last year’s Youth Week, he came there for two nights to give his testimony,” she recounted.

“The day after, we were in fasting and he was there encouraging us. He was that type of person. He was very passionate about God, and he was always willing to share the word,” Karen added.

In the meantime, Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has called for a high-level probe into Fairclough’s murder.

On Tuesday afternoon, a man suspected to have been involved in his murder was shot and killed during a confrontation with the police in Steer Town, St Ann.

The deceased has been identified as Siraldo Butler.

According to the police, a pistol was recovered at the scene.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force said that both the Independent Commission of Investigations and the Inspectorate Professional Standards Oversight Bureau have been notified about Tuesday’s incident.

For his part, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang expressed condolences to Fairclough’s family.

“Constable Fairclough was an outstanding young police officer, who demonstrated a level of professionalism. He was a special and dedicated young man in our law enforcement team,” said Chang.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com