‘He is not a gunman’

Residents of 38 Valdez Road in Homestead, St Catherine, are demanding justice following the shooting death of 19-year-old Kevon Morgan, a tiler who was allegedly shot and killed by Jamaica Defence Force soldiers about 11:30 a.m. in the community on Thursday.

The residents have contradicted the security forces’ version of events.

The police say a 9mm pistol with seven rounds of ammunition was taken from the deceased. The matter has been referred to the Inspectorate of Professional Standards and Oversight Bureau and the Independent Commission of Investigations.

The police reported that members of the JDF were in the area looking for a wanted man when they came in contact with Morgan, who opened fired at them. The fire was returned and Morgan was shot and pronounced dead at hospital.

“Mi over mi house and mi hear whole heap of shot, when it stop, mi go out of the gate and peep through, and mi see the boy wid him han inna de air and de soldier them a talk to him,” said a neighbour, who gave her name only as Barbara.

She added: “Mi couldn’t hear what dem a sey to him because of the distance, but mi see when one of the soldier kick wey him foot and him drop, and dem start shoot him, and mi hear somebody next door shout out sey a mi son, a mi son.”

Another man who claimed he knew Morgan well, and witnessed the incident, told The Gleaner that he was in his yard and heard shouts of soldier down the lane.

LOUD EXPLOSION

“Mi peep out because mi fraid fi go out there, and mi see dem have him a beat him, and mi hear him sey mi nuh have nuh gun, and then mi hear a whole heap of explosion, and him drop pon the ground and one of the soldier tek a gun out of a brown cloth and put it at the left side of him head, that all mi see,” said the resident who requested anonymity.

Morgan’s mother, Keron Marshall, said she was told about the incident by her uncle and what she heard was that her son had gone into the lane to buy a box of juice, before going on to tile his aunt’s house when he was shot and killed by a soldier.

“Mi a left everything to God in prayer,” she said, “Mi a beg him to give me strength, Kevon a de first one of three, he is not a gunman, “ the distraught mother told The Gleaner.

Meanwhile, acting Media Affairs Officer of the Jamaica Defence Force Lt. Nathan Curtis told The Gleaner that the JDF has launched its own investigation.

“Despite this, we will be cooperating fully with INDECOM in their investigations,” Curtis said.

This is the second such shooting involving members of the army and alleged gunmen in two weeks in the Homestead community.

In the first shooting, one man allegedly opened fire on a team of soldiers patrolling the community and was shot and killed, two soldiers were also shot and injured in this incident, one seriously; sources say he is recovering well in hospital.

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