NEW YORK, USA — The fatal shooting of two members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the wounding of a child during a gun battle with criminals last Friday has drawn strong condemnation from Diaspora leaders and others here, with some calling for stronger measures by the Dr Andrew Holness-led Administration to rein in those who continue to commit murders using illegal weapons.

The two policemen, Corporal Trevoy Shaw and Constable Devoney Rose, were killed as members of the security forces and gunmen clashed in the Five Miles area off the Sligoville main road in St Catherine early Friday morning.

Three civilians — Errol Hussey, his son Malique Hussey, and nephew Javoun Cogle — also died in the incident, while a 10-year-old girl was left nursing a gunshot wound.

“The reported use of a helpless child to lure police into a deadly ambush is abhorrent and despicable. It reflects a shocking level of depravity and a complete disregard for human life, including the safety and innocence of a child,” said Janice McIntosh, the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) representative for the Southern United States.

She was responding to reports that the gunmen used a child to signal to the cops that they were willing to surrender but shot the two cops when they went to retrieve the child.

Expressing condolence to the families, loved ones, and colleagues of the slain cops, McIntosh said she hopes they receive the support they need, see justice served and, in time, find some measure of peace.

McIntosh called for swift justice for those responsible or connected to the killing of the cops, and expressed hope that they will face the full force of the law and the harshest penalties permitted upon conviction.

Describing the killing of the two members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as a barbaric act, Ronnie Hammick, president of the New York-based Ex-Correctional Officers Association Of Jamaica said, “It is a sad reminder that despite the recent reduction in murders there is still serious concerns that there remains criminals who are bent on a life of crime.”

According to Hammick, it was chilling that those responsible for taking the lives of the two members of the police force would use an innocent child to lure the officers to their death.

Police personnel on the scene where five people, including two cops, were killed in Five Miles, St Catherine, on Friday. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

“It showed a callous disregard for human life,” said Hammick as he offered condolence to the JCF and the families of the slain officers.

Pennsylvania-based Michelle Tulloch-Neil said the tragedy that resulted in the death of the policemen, “calls for more than sympathy, it demands collective action, strong community partnerships, and a renewed commitment to public safety”.

She argued that violence against those entrusted with maintaining public safety must never be normalised.

Tulloch-Neil, who heads the GJDC for the north-east US, argued that those who dedicate their lives to protecting us deserve our respect, our support, and our unwavering commitment to justice.

“They deserve to serve without fear of being targeted for doing their jobs, and we should remember that behind every uniform is a human being, a family, and a community praying for their safe return home,” said Tulloch-Neil.

Florida-based university lecturer and Diaspora advocate Dr Allan Cunningham, in condemning the murder of the two cops and the wounding of a child in the attack, described it as heart-rending.

“We in the Diaspora grieve with members of the JCF and the families of the slain officers. When a police officer dies in the line of duty at the hands of criminal elements it is cause for serious concern,” said Cunningham.

He said he hopes serious measures can be implemented to protect those who work to protect the rest of the society.

Meanwhile, Dwight P Bailey — a former member of the JCF — in condemning the killing of the two cops described it as a serious assault on the rule of law and, “something we will have to continue to find a way to control”.