KINGSTON, Jamaica — An alleged gang member was charged after a man was set ablaze during a demonstration at the intersection of Pink Lane and North Street recently.

The accused, 36-year-old Omarley Dennie, otherwise called ‘Neily Blacks’, is accused of setting a man on fire after the man refused to participate in the protest.

Dennie, who police say is a member of the One A Way Gang, which operates in Denham Town, west Kingston, was charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Another man known only as ‘CJ’, who police said is also a member of the same gang, is being sought in relation to the incident.

Detectives are asking him to surrender to the Denham Town Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) no later than Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of “CJ” is asked to call the Denham Town Police Station at 1 (876) 922-6441, the Denham Town Criminal Investigations Branch at (876) 948-6443, the Police Emergency Communication Centre at 119, or the nearest police station.

The protest was in response to the police killing of 26-year-old Amani ‘Bling Dawg’ Malcolm, who police said was the leader of the One A Way Gang.

Police had reported that around 10:40 pm on September 18,  a team on mobile patrol saw Malcolm with a bulge in the front of his waistband standing at the intersection of North Street and Pink Lane.

A policeman disembarked the service vehicle, approached Malcolm and instructed him to put his hands in the air.

It was reported that Malcolm immediately pulled a firearm from the front of his waistband and pointed it at the cop, who pulled his service pistol and fired at him.

The firearm, the police said, fell from Malcolm, who reportedly held onto the cop’s M16 rifle. During a tussle, both men fell to the ground, and the alleged gunman gained control of the rifle.

The policeman, out of fear of losing his life, again discharged his service pistol at Malcolm, managed to free himself and took cover as other cops came to his assistance.

Malcolm, still on the ground with the M16 rifle, pointing it indiscriminately, and another policeman discharged one round from his service pistol. The M16 rifle fell from the alleged gunman’s grasp.

The rifle and the firearm Malcolm had reportedly pulled from his waist were retrieved. The illegal gun was found to be a Glock 26 pistol with five 9mm rounds.

A bystander was shot and injured during the incident. The police team assisted Malcolm to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Police said a large crowd of irate residents converged at the scene of the incident and the hospital compound. Residents also started a fire by setting ablaze an immobilised car on the lower section of North Street as a sign of protest.

Another demonstration occurred the following morning, during which another fire was lit by residents. Police said a man who refused to participate in the protest was beaten and set on fire by gang members.