The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net 

POLICE have launched an island-wide manhunt for a 26-year-old man who allegedly threatened to “kill police officers” in retaliation for police fatally shooting four suspects since last Friday.

Officer-in-charge of the Central Detective Unit, Chief Superintendent Paul Rolle yesterday urged the suspect to “turn himself in and make it easier on himself.”

The threats are on several voice recordings that went viral on social media on Wednesday. In one of the recordings, a male is heard threatening to “shoot” any police officer and urging the police to hide or “be killed”.

“Yo, this is a message for the police and I want you to send this around,” the man says on one of the recordings. “Let these (expletive) know that we killing them too. We catch them slipping, we bursting their (expletive) brains.”

“You see what I saying? We trying to kill them and they mother. We killing these (expletive) police. Send this around. Since they think this is a game, we shooting at them now. They think they will be the only one killing people, eh? They come behind me, I killing them, this is not a game, we killing them this lap. They could go hide because we killing them too.”

Chief Supt Rolle said police went to the suspect’s home Wednesday night, but he was not there.

“He needs to turn himself in or we will come and get him. We went and checked for him last night and I don’t want to call his name but his family will let him know we visited him and I say to members of the public to desist from doing that, it is a criminal offence.”

“Use your technology for the good and not to be passing threatening remarks because the police are not going to sit down and have anyone threaten them with violence or with death,” the CDU chief added. “We do not live in that kind of society. This is a civilized society whether he or anyone else realises it or not. We will be proactive and we will be forceful and we will take action where these persons break the law.”

Six suspects have been shot by police since last week Thursday and four of them have died from their injuries.

The latest suspect was shot and killed on Wednesday in a cemetery moments after he impersonated a police sergeant, committed a string of armed robberies and led police on a high-speed chase in the Carmichael Road area. He has been identified as Rony Jean, one of the country’s most wanted suspects.

On Sunday, officers shot and killed two armed robbery suspects after the pair, with a third suspect, led officers on a high-speed chase through the Claridge Road area.

Police said the suspects opened fire after their car crashed into a pole, leading officers to return gunfire and fatally wounding two of the gunmen.

Last Friday police shot and killed Nixon Vixamar one day before his 31st birthday while in the process of arresting him at his Gamble Heights home.

Earlier this week, Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said police cannot afford to be “sympathetic” towards criminals and if a suspect shoots at police, officers will retaliate, not only for the safety of the police, but also for the public’s safety.

According to The Tribune’s records, there have been six fatal police shootings so far this year.