INVESTIGATORS are yet to determine the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of a member of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in the volatile west Kingston community of Denham Town on Friday, but even as the probe continues residents are fuming over the death of a man they described as “a good soldier”.

He has been identified as 20-year-old Private Ejay Domville, who had been in the JDF for less than 12 months.

Though pieces of the puzzle are missing, what is certain is that around 1:25 am Domville was part of a team that was on foot patrol in Denham Town when he was killed. The incident took place in the vicinity of Charles Street and Chestnut Lane.

The police said on Friday that a team of soldiers went in pursuit of men who opened gunfire at them, causing them to take evasive action and return fire.

When the shooting ended, Domville was found with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the face. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Lieutenant Colonel Carl Clarke, acting brigade commander of the Jamaica Regiment and who is responsible for all deployments of soldiers across Jamaica in support of Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), expressed regret over the fatal shooting.

“I want to say condolences to the family of the soldier; we deeply regret their loss and the loss of his life. What I can tell you at this moment is that the soldiers were responding to a direct threat on their lives and, in so doing, unfortunately one of the soldiers was impacted, possibly by one of the rounds of the threat forces,” Clarke said, unable to say definitively who shot the soldier.

“The investigations continue and we continue in pursuit of these perpetrators, so to speak, and we will definitely continue to be professional with what we do under the auspices of internal security operations justification and acting within the law. He was not walking alone. At this time I am not able to say how many soldiers were there with him. A soldier doesn’t walk alone. We operate at a minimum of two people,” added Clarke.

He said he was unable to speak to claims that the soldiers were responding to reports of a shooting at a dance.

Despite not being certain which gun the bullet came from that killed the soldier, JDF Communication Officer Major Kayson Gunzell said the military will continue in its efforts to locate the cowards who took the life of their “fellow brother”.

“We just want to use this opportunity to remind citizens that we are not deterred. We remain committed to the mission in support of the JCF,” said Gunzell.

In the meantime, several residents were seen mourning the death of the young soldier. They described him as a lady’s man and a motivator.

According to one young man from Denham Town, the slain soldier would always encourage young people to do good and engage in positive activities.

“Dem man deh tell you fi lift up your head and go back to school and dem thing deh. The other day a youth and him stepfather was about fi war and stab up each other. A him and him team come bruk up di fight. Everybody have good things fi seh bout him. He was a good, good man.

“Dem man deh was the girls dem type a man. Di girls dem love him. Him never diss nobody ’round here yet. Nobody nuh know what really happened. What we hear is that dem a go dung di road and buck up inna man and him get shot,” said the young man who declined to give his name.

The pain one female resident felt over the killing of the soldier was very evident by the mournful look on her face and how vocal she was about the situation.

“Thursday night him look pon mi and ask me wah mi a deal wid. Mi tell him seh mi a go inside go cook some food and mi soon come back out. At night we and him will be out here until hours, chatting and laughing. Him talk to girls and we laugh. When mi see him picture and dem seh a him dead, mi affi buy a beer, well cold — an mi have Type 2 diabetes and shouldn’t a drink dem something yah.

“A mi brethren. Him know me by name. He was a respectable soldier. Mi love him. Look, mi body have cold bumps. Him talk to everybody, and him nuh deal wid you like a nobody. Him nuh hype pon people, and him talk to you with respect. Him used to buy cologne from me. Him reason wid me and seh like how mi deh pon TikTok mi must put mi money to use,” said the obviously hurting woman,

“I was on my TikTok Live and when I saw his picture I had to end my live. He said I should use my
TikTok money and buy a second-hand bus, and when mi ready mi mus’ check him because him have a link. Him never want me inna party a throw weh money. Him know all mi son. My condolences to him family. I pray west Kingston come back to betterment.

“From school lock the pickney dem nuh get no summer. Me a keep a back-to-school treat Saturday and it have to postpone because this happened. Me a look fi feed over 200 pickney Saturday and mi can’t do that because we a guh under curfew and we have to go een early,” the female resident lamented.

Members of Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) gather in Denham Town after the shooting death of one of their own, Private Ejay Domville. (Photo: Llewellyn Wynter)

Private Ejay Domville is lifted by his mother after he completed his training to become a member of the JDF.

Private Ejay Domville.