FITZROY Coore, bran ded as one of Clarendon’s most wanted criminals and who was shot dead by law enforcers in Manchester on Sunday, used two women as human shields in an attempt to escape after he was cornered in a house, the police have reported.

According to the police, the encounter with 26-year-old Coore occurred about 6:00 pm when an intelligence-driven operation led members from the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC) to premises in the community of May Day in Manchester.

“Upon the arrival of the police, they announced themselves and asked that the occupants exit the premises and surrender,” the constabulary said in a news release.

“Coore then appeared on the verandah, using two women as human shields. The policemen sought to apprehend him, when he engaged one officer in a tussle. During the tussle Coore pulled a gun from his waistband, at which point another officer took evasive action and fired shots in Coore’s direction, hitting him. He was taken to a nearby medical facility where he was pronounced dead. A 9mm handgun was taken from him,” the police said.

Coore, the constabulary said, “was a top-tier member of the Effortville, Clarendon-based Lion Paw Gang as well as a member of the Bucks Common or Bucknor Gang. At the time of his death he was a notorious violence-producer who was formally wanted for murder and shooting with intent”.

The police said the intelligence they obtained was that Coore was actively planning to launch attacks in Effortville in reprisal for recent double murder.

“Coore was wanted for the August 22, 2019 double murder of Malaino March, o/c Mullings, and Stephen Sharpe o/c Shawn or Percy, and the wounding with intent of a two-year-old girl. He was also a person of interest in at least 11 murders and four shootings in the parish of Clarendon alone. He was an integral member of a criminal network known to be operating in the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester, St Elizabeth, and St Catherine,” the police said.

“On previous occasions Coore managed to evade police dragnets intended to bring him into custody for previous offences from as far back as 2015,” the release stated.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Fitz Bailey commended detectives from C-TOC, National Intelligence Bureau, and Clarendon, as well as the Jamaica Defence Force for their support and the “excellent investigative work” they conducted in this matter.

“While it was our intention to apprehend Coore and once again bring him before courts, I am pleased with the work of investigators on the ground,” the release quotes DCP Bailey. “They have been tracking the activities of this individual for several years now, interrupting his criminal activities along the way. Their excellent investigations gave us pin-point accuracy as to the whereabouts of one of the most feared violence-producers in Clarendon. Thankfully, he is no longer a threat to the lives and livelihoods of the people of Jamaica.”