KINGSTON, Jamaica — A State of Public Emergency (SOE) has been declared in the St Catherine North Police Division as tension continues to build in Spanish Town and surrounding communities due to last week’s fatal shooting of the reputed leader of the One Order Gang.

Othneil Lobban otherwise called ‘Thickman’ was reportedly shot and killed by members of the Joint Anti-Gang Task Force (JAGTF) at Six Miles in St Andrew about 10:30 pm last Wednesday.

His killing immediately triggered an uproar in sections of Spanish Town, with residents blocking roads with tyres and other debris and setting them ablaze. A curfew was implemented in Ellerslie Pen and Tawes Meadows communities shortly after the incident.

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However, security forces have since requested further intervention to address the escalating threat to public safety and prevent further destabilisation. As a result, the community is now being placed under a State of Public Emergency effective Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

The boundaries of the SOE are defined as follows:

EAST: Starting in the vicinity of Windsor Castle and Carron Hall and extending south-easterly along the common boundary for the parishes of St Catherine, St Mary, and then St Andrew to Rock Hall;

SOUTH: Thence generally in a south-westerly direction for approximately 33 kilometres at a bearing of approximately 219 degrees to where the communities of Cromarty, Bushy Park and Old Harbour Road meet. Continuing in a northerly direction for approximately five kilometres to the PJ Patterson Highway. Thence extending generally in a north-westerly direction for approximately 19 kilometres at a bearing of approximately 307 degrees to where the communities of Old Harbour, Rock River and Bellas Gate meet;

WEST: Continuing in a northerly direction along the common boundary between the parishes of St Catherine and Clarendon to where the parish boundaries of Clarendon, St Catherine and St Ann meet; and

NORTH: Thence generally easterly along the shared boundary of the parishes of St Catherine, St Ann and then St Mary, back to the starting point.

The commissioner of police and the chief of defence staff are appealing to the public for their full cooperation as the security forces intensify their operations and protect the lives and livelihoods of all law-abiding residents.