Cop shot by gunmen in downtown Kingston recovering well
THE colleagues of the policeman who was shot by gunmen on Tuesday near the Kingston Central Police Station are breathing a sigh of relief as he is still alive and responding well to treatment in hospital.
According to Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson, there was no indication that a hit was put out on the traffic cop’s life.
The cop was shot while riding his motorcycle on East Queen Street in downtown Kingston. The attack follows the recent killing of two policemen. Constable Brian Martin was shot dead at a wake in Frog City on October 15 and Corporal Oliver Mullings was shot dead by gunmen on October 20 on Third Street in the Kingston West Police Division.
Commissioner Anderson shared that six policemen have been killed while on duty since the start of the year, while three others were shot and seriously injured.
Anderson reminded members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force to always be aware of their surroundings and told them that they have the full backing of the police high command whenever they lawfully use force to defend themselves and their colleagues against attacks.
The traffic cop, Anderson said, was shot by two people on a motorcycle.
“Thankfully he managed to take evasive action, returned fire, and now is being treated in hospital. Recently we lost one of our members, who was killed while on an operation. I often make the point that, when confronted by armed criminals, it is my desire for the police to win every time and go home to their families.
“Unfortunately for us, Corporal Mullings wasn’t able to go home to his family that night. In the case of his family, the wounds of grief are still fresh. It was only in October 2020 that the mother of his teen daughter, a sergeant stationed in St Catherine South, left out for duty and perished in a traffic accident.”
The commissioner took aim at people who criticise the police when they use deadly force.
“There are many who have a lot to say about police use of force. The problem is that none of these people are out there on the front lines being shot at. It is far easier to opine from positions of safety,” he said.
