Dead cop linked to other party shootings

The licensed firearm holder who turned himself in to the police after he allegedly shot and killed a detective constable during an altercation in Ocho Rios, St Ann, on Sunday remained in custody last night.

The slain constable has been identified as 30-year-old Shane Francis, who was attached to the St Ann's Bay Divisional Intelligence Unit.

Up to late yesterday, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Ealan Powell, head of the Criminal Investigations Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the licensed firearm holder had not been charged with any criminal offence.

Police investigators report that Francis and the licensed firearm holder were leaving a party in Ocho Rios when an altercation developed between them.

Investigators claim that Francis pulled his licensed firearm and approached the man before he was shot in the chest and hip. He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

THIRD INCIDENT

The shooting marked the third time Francis has been linked by police investigators to gun play linked to an entertainment event.

One investigator revealed yesterday that a coroner's jury is now hearing evidence about his alleged involvement in the shooting death of a colleague, Constable Sheldon Williams, who had been taken into custody for engaging in gun salute at a dance they both attended in Ocho Rios in 2010.

The police reported at the time that, while he was being processed, Williams - more popularly known as 'Sylvan' - grabbed his firearm and fled the police station.

A police team reportedly gave chase before Williams was killed during an exchange of gunfire.

Nearly a year later, according to investigators, Francis was implicated in the shooting of a male patron at a dance in St Mary.