KINGSTON, Jamaica — A wanted man was shot dead and 18 other persons detained during a police operation at Bottom River on August Town Road, St Andrew, on Monday morning.

An illegal weapon and several rounds of ammunition were seized during the operation, police said.

The dead man has been identified as 26-year-old Deandre Williams, otherwise called “Street Life”, from Nanny Boulevard in Nannyville, Kingston 3.

Reports indicate that around 5:00 am, a large contingent of police conducted an operation during which Williams was accosted. This led to a confrontation in which he was killed.

The illegal weapon, a 9mm Taurus pistol with a magazine containing 10 9mm cartridges, was seized, and 18 men believed to be aligned with the African Gardens/Vietnam Gang were apprehended and taken into custody.

Williams, the police said, was wanted for the murder of 39-year-old Charles “Tallman” Walford, a mason from Mandela Terrace, Kingston 11. Walford was shot dead by gunmen on East Road in Kingston 11 on Friday, August 22, 2025.

Further information indicates that Williams previously operated as a member of the Ashanti and the Dust City gangs. He was also a top-tier member of the Night Time Brawling group and the African Gardens/Vietnam Gang.

Additionally, Williams was considered a person of interest in multiple murders and shootings committed across the St Andrew Central, North, South, and Kingston Eastern divisions.

The police said Williams was deported from Canada on June 24, 2024, after spending four years in prison for forcible confinement, assault and possession of a prohibited weapon.