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Five arrested following party at which cop was killed

Published:Sunday | November 8, 2020 | 1:27 PMTamara Bailey - Gleaner Writer
Constable Kirkland Plummer (contributed).

At least five people have been arrested for breaching the Disaster Risk Management Act, following a party in Harwood district, Clarendon last night, where a constable was shot and killed.

According to Superintendent Gary Francis, Commanding Officer for Manchester, Constable Kirkland Plummer is believed to have been passing the area when he saw a large gathering and stopped to investigate. 

Reports are that approximately 9:40 p.m., Plummer disarmed a man who reportedly discharged an illegal firearm at the event.

The constable was later attacked by the man's cronies. 

The commanding officer said Plummer received, what appears to be, a gun shot wound to the face and blunt force injury to the head, possibly caused by a stone. 

He said the man who Plummer disarmed was also shot in the process and later succumbed to his injuries.

His identity is being withheld pending further investigations. 

Francis said they are still yet to ascertain if Plummer stopped at the party in his capacity as a policeman or as a patron. 

"He was on his own, it was not a patrol... We have heard that he was on his way through the area when he stopped to find out what was happening, because a section of the road was blocked off and we also heard that he was a patron there. We are not sure, but we are investigating that," he said.

Francis told The Gleaner that the five persons arrested, including the owner of the property, could be charged today or tomorrow.

He said the police were able to retrieve an illegal firearm from the scene along with the constable's weapon. However, they are still on the hunt for the cop's killers. 

"We are appealing to persons who would have witnessed the incident to contact the police and assist them in the investigation," Francis pleaded. 

He described Plummer as a cop who took his job seriously and said he was tactful and fearless. 

"He is not a junior police, but he was transferred to the Spalding area in February of this year... I was told that he was one of those willing police officers, very tactical, hence why he alone took on a gunman. That shows the kind of person who he was. He was a fearless cop and a very good team player," he said. 

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