Motorist killed gangland-style in front of MoBay police facility
Published:Thursday | October 17, 2024 | 12:12 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
A motorist was shot and killed gangland-style in front of the police’s control centre, formerly the Church Street Police Station, in downtown Montego Bay, St James, early Monday night by gunmen who reportedly chased his vehicle through traffic, firing a barrage of shots.
Police personnel at the control centre were reportedly forced to flee in panic as bullets struck the outside of the building which serves as the police’s main communication centre for the parish.
It is believed that the deceased motorists was trying to elude his attackers by driving into the police facility but, unfortunately, he did not make it.
After the incident, a relative of the deceased motorist identified him as 31 year-old Devon Cooper, of a Dumfries address, also in St James. However, the relative was not able to provide much details about him and why he was on King Street, which is a volatile section of the western city.
When The Gleaner contacted the Montego Bay Police Station (Freeport), the headquarters of the St James police, immediately after the shooting, a lawman confirmed the incident but said he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“I can confirm that a motorist was shot and killed near the control centre on Church Street and that bullets struck the building ... . I can’t say if it was stray bullets or if it was something deliberate,” the policeman said.
The Gleaner later learned that police personnel from the Montego Bay Police Station, who were responding to a call for support from their Church Street colleagues, crashed en route to the location, resulting in two lawmen suffering injuries.
When The Gleaner contacted Superintendent Eron Samuels, the police commander for St James, shortly after midday yesterday, he indicated that he was in a meeting. A return call from the superintendent was missed and subsequent attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
It is believed that Cooper was shot in the vicinity of the police facility at which point the vehicle came to a halt. Police personnel who responded to the shooting reportedly rushed the injured motorist to a medical facility where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
‘Something drastic needs to be done’
Based on the latest ‘serious crimes report’ issued by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for the period January 1 to October 12, the St James police division leads the nation’s murder tally with 109 persons killed since the start of the year. While this year’s murder toll for the parish is significantly lower than the 155 recorded over the comparative period last year, the brazen nature of the recent killings remains worrisome for residents.
“De gunman dem nuh business. Dem fire shot anywhere dem feel like. Last week, dem kill a security guard uppa clock in broad daylight. A few weeks ago, dem kill a man almost pon de step of the Barnett Street Police Station, and tonight, dem tek inna the Church Street Police Station. We cannot live like dis, something drastic needs to be done,” an elderly woman who witnessed the incident said while telling The Gleaner she could not run because of her bad knees.