Incensed that they were not allowed to dispense their own form of justice on an accused killer, residents of Steer Town in St Ann clashed with police yesterday, resulting in one man being shot and wounded by the police and the residents blocking the Drax Hall main road in protest.

The residents had cornered a man accused of stabbing to death a resident of Steer Town and was in the process of beating him when the police intervened and tried to rescue the accused.

In the ensuing fracas, shots were reportedly fired by the police, which resulted in a taxi operator, known only as John, who was among the crowd, being shot and injured in the leg.

Further infuriated by what they say was now double injustice, the residents vented their anger at a sergeant of police who they claimed did the shooting. They used stones, wood and other debris to block sections of the road.

The protest, which lasted about two hours, resulted in traffic along the St Ann’s Bay to Ocho Rios main road being backed up for several hundred metres as police fired shots in the air and teargas in an effort to disperse the angry crowd.

A heavy detachment of police was rushed to the scene and superintendent of police for St Ann, Ray Palmer, had to assure the crowd that both incidents would be thoroughly investigated before the residents were satisfied that their point had been made.

The event started to unfold at around 9:30 am when two men were involved in a dispute in Steer Town and a knife was used to stab an 18 year-old man to death.

Police named the dead man as Husain Wynter, otherwise called Theo, of Steer Town.

Husain’s brother, Wade, a student at Moneague College, said he was at school when he heard of his brother’s death and was not sure how the incident occurred.

The accused, who the residents said was from Linstead in St Catherine, was chased and cornered along a section of the beach at Mammee Bay, but jumped into the sea in an effort to avoid his pursuers. He was, however, caught and was being severely beaten when the police intervened.

But the comparatively mild abuse hurled at the police for rescuing the accused erupted into a full-scale cursing after, the residents claimed, the police sergeant fired his M-16 rifle indiscriminately, resulting in John being shot.

One Steer Town resident, Charlie Walker, told the Observer that the crowd handed over the accused to the police but some were enraged that this was done and demanded that he be released.

“The police retaliated by shooting one of the guys in his foot,” Walker claimed. “We a go push it further and we would like to know what steps to take,” Walker said.

But Supt Palmer told the Observer that in a bid to remove the man from the scene “the boisterous citizens” converged on the police, sat on the motor car and hurled missiles at the police.

“I am told that the police responded by firing shots and that one man, whose name I’ve not yet ascertained, received injury to one of his legs and was taken to the St Ann’s Bay Hospital where he is undergoing treatment,” Palmer said.

“The injury is not life threatening and a full and thorough investigation will be carried out.”

Residents further contended that a brother of the accused, also from St Catherine, had used his motor vehicle to hit another Steer Town resident, injuring him, just over a week before yesterday’s incident and has not been seen since.

Palmer extended condolences to the family of the deceased, on behalf of the police and assured the crowd that justice would be done as the Bureau of Special Investigations would investigate the matter. He appealed to persons who witnessed both incidents to give statements to the police.

“The hands of the policemen involved will be swabbed; the gentleman who has been shot is not seriously injured, the suspect who is alleged to have killed the other gentleman is in police custody,” Palmer assured the residents.