Relatives of man killed by cops deny shoot-out
Published:Saturday | February 6, 2021 | 1:11 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The relatives of a man who was fatally shot by cops in Meyers Field Mountains, near Grange Hill in Westmoreland on Thursday, are denying police reports that he was killed in a shoot-out.
The dead man has been identified as Kevern McIntosh, otherwise called ‘Bobo’, of Meylers Field Mountain.
According to the police’s version of the incident, at about 2 a.m., a joint police/military team went to a section of the community, armed with a search warrant to execute on McIntosh, in a case of assault at common law and illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.
The police said when they approached the house, McIntosh opened gunfire on them and they returned fire. When the shooting subsided, the lawmen said they found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with several rounds of ammunition near the deceased man.
However, relatives of the dead man, including his father Linford McIntosh are demanding a proper investigation in the killing which they believe will give them justice.
“Di police seh dem come and him fire pon dem, and dem return fire pon him, an him dead, but mi know seh nothing nuh go like dat because mi son was never a gunman,” the grieving father told The Gleaner.
“Everything start from a little argument with him an him girlfriend and seet yah now, him dead. Mi live inna a little house in a di yard beside fi him house, an mi hear di explosions dem, but mi neva know seh a over him house it did a come from,” added the father.
When The Gleaner contacted Superintendent Robert Gordon, the commanding officer for Westmoreland, he said he was standing by the statements given to him by the officers who were involved in the incident.
“Based on the report that I was given, this individual, despite the fact that he had no criminal record, was far from being a saint,” said Gordon. “He was under the police radar as a major player in lottery scamming.”
Errol Chattoo, the director of complaints at INDECOM’s western office, told The Gleaner that a team from the commission visited the shooting scene and carried out investigations, but he was not yet able to provide any details.
“A team is presently still on the ground there and they have not yet gotten back to me with a final report, so, we are not yet fully briefed of the incident,” said Chattoo.