Security forces celebrate deadly end to Bigga Crime’s reign of terror

Residents of Longville Park in Clarendon have been left stunned after the security forces killed one of Jamaica’s most wanted fugitives, Nesta ‘Bigga Crime’ Morrison, in their community on Wednesday.

It was a case of déjà vu for the southeastern Clarendon community, which was home to another of the country’s most wanted men, Rudolph ‘Boxer’ Shaw.

Sources say that Shaw had relocated from the community after he was named as wanted by the police.

Shaw, who escaped from the Kingston Central Police Station lock-up under mysterious circumstances last October, was killed within days during a reported confrontation with members of the police’s Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch at a guest house on Sandringham Avenue in St Andrew.

The police say Morrison was killed during an intelligence-driven operation in Longville Park, which is in the Mineral Heights division in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. The division is now overseen by May Pen Mayor Winston Maragh in light of the death of former councillor Milton Brown.

On Wednesday, Maragh commended the security forces for acting swiftly on the reported intelligence even as he expressed shock over the unfolding situation in the quiet community and implored citizens to be vigilant.

“I am very sorry to hear that such a notorious gentleman could have been taking refuge in a community like Longville Park. It goes to show you that wanted men can be hiding anywhere, and so the citizens just have to be careful and be on the alert,” Maragh told The Gleaner.

Residents of the area, who declined to speak at length, also expressed concern, calling on homeowners to implement a more thorough vetting process for prospective tenants to keep criminal elements out.

In what appeared to be a celebratory post on Twitter, the Jamaica Defence Force said “Long run short ketch” as it reported the fatal shooting of Morrison, a top lieutenant of the Tankwell Hill Gang.

The security forces have long been in pursuit of Morrison, who also went by the moniker ‘Grimey Boss’. He managed to elude them on numerous occasions before he was located in the Clarendon community.

On November 24, 2022, the Joint Anti-Gang Task Force closed in on one of his many hideouts, recovering two assault rifles, one Browning double-action 9mm pistol, and 129 assorted rounds of ammunition – 108 live 5.56mm rounds, 16 live 9mm rounds, five 12-gauge rounds – in that operation. They also recovered paramilitary equipment and a large sum of US counterfeit cash, among other contraband.

A regular feature of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Wanted Wednesdays campaign, Morrison was wanted for double murder, shooting, and arson arising from incidents in Bull Bay, east Kingston, and surrounding communities.

In announcing Morrison’s death, Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey said that he rained terror on the citizens within the Eleven Miles, Bull Bay, area and its environments, killing and maiming several people.

“I think it’s a victory for the people of those communities, and it is a relief that he can no longer perpetuate those acts of violence against them,” Bailey said.

The Independent Commission of Investigations is probing the incident.

– Olivia Brown and Andre Williams