MANCHESTER, Jamaica— The leadership of the Manchester police has defended the response of personnel in a domestic dispute incident in Mandeville on Monday leading to the fatal shooting of a man moments after he wounded his elderly father with a machete.

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Head of the Manchester police Deputy Superintendent Carey Duncan said the incident highlights the need for more amicable resolutions to disputes among relatives.

“This very unfortunate incident really underscores the importance of persons to find amicable and mature ways to treat with disputes. There are so many agencies that are available to assist in these areas, so we speak about the CSSB (Community Safety and Security Branch) department at my police station, chaplains, Justices of the Peace and the Restorative Justice Centres that are available,” he said on Tuesday morning in an audio message.

“I just want to implore persons to raise their level of intellect when treating with disputes and in order not to be violent find more peaceful and amicable ways to deal with these incidents,” he added.

Duncan praised the personnel under his command for swiftly responding to the incident.

“I also would like to commend my team at Manchester from the persons who received the initial telephone call and the immediate dispatch. As a matter of fact the officers who responded were on their way almost off duty and when they got the call they immediately turned back and went and in record time was at the location and had it not been for that prompt response I am almost certain the situation would have been far worse than it turned out to be,” he said.

He provided the police’s account of the incident.

“A team of officers responded to a domestic dispute situation that was occurring at number 15 deCarteret Road in Mandeville, Manchester. On the arrival of the police, they observed a man who was later identified as Mr Okarie Gayle who was armed with a machete, inflicting chop wounds to an elderly gentleman who was lying helplessly on the ground.”

Police at the scene where Okarie Gayle, 50, was fatally shot after he reportedly inflicted chop wounds on his 77-year-old father at their family home on deCarteret Road in Mandeville on Monday morning.
(Photo: Kasey Williams)

“The police team gave clear instructions to Mr Gayle to drop the machete that he was armed with, but instead of dropping the machete Mr Gayle held the machete in the air and threatened to kill the elderly man who was on the ground. The police at this point discharged their weapons in the air in a bid to have Mr Gayle drop the machete and to seize the attack,” said Duncan.

“Mr Gayle, however, continued the attack on the helpless man who was on the ground and at this point for the fear that the man on the ground would be further injured or killed by Mr Okarie Gayle the police officers in defence of the gentleman’s life discharged their weapons in the direction of Mr Okarie Gayle who was hit,” he added.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is probing the incident.

— Kasey Williams