MP moves to quell tension in Mountain View after police killing
KINGSTON, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament for Eastern St Andrew, Andre Hylton has moved to diffuse tension between residents of section of Mountain View and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) following Monday’s fatal shooting of19-year-old Romarco Wilson, a member of the community.
According to Hylton he will be working with the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) and Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) heads of the Kingston Eastern Police Division and the leadership of the community.
“I am committed to the complete and thorough resolution of this matter and to work along with the police and residents to put in place a system to improve the relationship, while maintaining law and order in the community,” Hylton said.
“With that I implore those who have witnessed the fatal shooting to come forward with information so that justice may be done,” he added.
However Hylton cautioned that the situation was still sensitive as the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is conducting a probe and therefore there was little he could say can say about the shooting incident.
After visiting the community on Monday, Hylton said that he has short-listed the major concerns of the residents.
He said that residents consider Wilson to be innocent and the impact is even greater given a lack of closure in the fatal shooting of another resident of the area, Kavorn Schue, one year and four months after his killing;
In addition, Hylton said, there is a strong level distrust of the police by residents.
According to Hylton a lack of a resolution in the fatal shooting Schue over a year ago is one of the main contributing factors to the tension between the police and residents of the community.
“I know that the process takes some time but after one and a half years and not hearing anything on the matter the people there are angry,” he said.
Wilson was shot and killed by the lawmen on Monday in what they say was a shootout between criminals and the police.
The cops involved in the fatal shooting have since been taken off front line duty.
The shooting occurred in the East Kingston and Port Royal constituency represented by Phillip Paulwell.
