ANGRY family members and friends of 100 Lane resident Michael Brown, who was shot dead by police yesterday, blocked sections of Red Hills Road with burning tyres and other debris to register their disgust.

Brown was killed early yesterday morning in what the police later described as a shoot-out.

The lawmen said Brown was among a group of men who opened fire on two special constables – injuring one of them – at a motor vehicle accident scene near the KFC outlet on Red Hills Road in Kingston. The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) said that Brown was shot when the fire was returned. Brown, 27, was pronounced dead at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).

But the residents disputed the police’s version, saying Brown was murdered.

They were also incensed by reports that Brown’s stepfather had been allegedly beaten by the police at the hospital where he had gone to identify the body.

But according to the CCN, Brown and the group of men were in an altercation with the motorist involved in the accident, when the specials intervened and were allegedly attacked. The incident, CCN said, occurred about 12:30 am.

But family members told the Observer that Brown, otherwise called Shorty Piece and Marlon, was killed in cold blood when he went to check on his friend, who was involved in the accident.

“Him [Michael] friend was involved in an accident at KFC and him went up there to check on him, and the police just shoot him fi nothing,” Brown’s stepfather, Robert Willis said.

A riled-up Trudian Harrison, Brown’s sister, said: “Dem can’t say it was a shoot-out because him was not involved in anything. The police shoot him innocently in a him side. The police never did have fi shoot di youth. Them kill mi brother, den turn round and back gun after the whole a we up deh.”

Brown’s mother, Marvia Cunningham, said her son, who died leaving an eight-year-old son, “did nothing to warrant his death…” The grieving Cunningham could be seen cursing at police officers on the scene, and had to be restrained by family members.

The family also told the Observer that when they went to the hospital around 8:00 am to identify Brown’s body, Willis was allegedly attacked and beaten by about six policemen. Willis had bruises to the face and hand injuries which he charged were inflicted during the approximately 10-minute beating by the cops.

He said his left hand, which was in a sling, was fractured during the alleged beating, which he claimed took place in full view of a police inspector who did nothing to stop the cops.

Willis alleged that he was set upon by the police after telling Brown’s mother to leave the cops with whom she was arguing “because their time will come”.

Cunningham and Harrison charged also that the police drew their guns and threatened to shoot Willis, who was writhing in pain on the ground.

“A jump wi have fi jump pon him and lay down pon top of him fi dem stop beating him,” Harrison claimed.

The blockage – between the Red Hills Mall and the KFC outlet – was cleared by about 10 men among the demonstrators, whom the police put to work.