CORONER for the Corporate Area Patrick Murphy, today threw out a motion by the Jamaica Defense Force attorneys, requesting that soldiers be allowed to testify in private for national security reasons.

Murphy made the ruling during today's sitting of the inquest into the January 2008 fatal shooting of five men in Tivoli Gardens.

The motion was filed on Wednesday by attorney representing the JDF Chester Crooks. After two days of deliberation a decision was reached and the first JDF witness took the stand today.

The witness, who was the commanding officer in charge of a troop of soldiers who were a part of joint police/military team that went into Tivoli Gardens, said that the soldiers were instructed to search for wanted men from the Stone Crusher gang but during their search the party came under attack from gunmen.

He said he was informed that a group of gunmen ran into a building on Keith Avenue and he instructed his men to secure the building and to ensure that none of the men escaped. He said a member of his team and a police officer were injured and nine guns and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered during the operation.

The five men were killed in what the police said was shootout at a two-storey house on Keith Avenue.

The inquest is being held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston and will resume on Monday.

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