Buck Town residents protest fatal police shooting

Residents of Buck Town in Rivoli, Spanish Town, St Catherine today mounted roadblocks to protest the fatal police shooting of two men in the community last night. 

The incident, which occurred around 9 p.m., has ignited tension in the area.

Upset residents used debris to block the main road.

In response, security forces have been removing the barricades, only for residents to remount them in defiance.

Killed in the shooting were Marco Miller, also known as 'Izzy,' and Alex Phillipot, alias as 'Toby', both of Buck Town in Rivoli.

Millisa Hyatt, a relative of Phillipot, expressed outrage at the death of her cousin.

"Him was at the gambling shop and him left and came over for some money and then we hear somebody screaming out and then we hear shots, then we find out that police kill him in his house," Hyatt told The Gleaner.

She alleged that the security forces entered his house, questioned him, and then shot him.

"Mi don't feel good about this. Toby is a hard worker who works for the JPS [Jamaica Public Service]. He is not a criminal. We need justice for this. We would feel better if they had taken him down to the station and beat him up, but them kill him on his bed in the house," she claimed.

Police, however, reported that Phillipot and Miller were killed during a confrontation.

Lawmen allegedly recovered a Smith & Wesson pistol with two 9mm rounds and a shotgun at the scene.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has since launched a probe into the incident.

- Ruddy Mathison

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