A police officer was shot and injured, and a man was killed during a police operation in Negril, Westmoreland, on Thursday.
The deceased man has been identified as Niarrie Richardson, who was also known by the alias ‘Draco’. According to reports, a police team was conducting an operation in Tank Lane at approximately 4:34 a.m. at the time the incident occurred.
After the police team entered a premises in the area, Richardson allegedly challenged the officers. He was reportedly armed with a handgun. Reports state that both Richardson and the officers opened fire, resulting in him and a policeman getting wounded.
Richardson’s handgun, a pistol with six 9mm cartridges, was seized, and he was later transported to the Savanna-La-Mar Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The current state of the injured officer is not known.
The incident was reported to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), which has since launched a probe into the shooting. According to a statistical report from INDECOM, members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have been involved in 191 fatal shootings since the beginning of the year.
As such, the number of police-related fatal shootings has risen above 110% when compared to the same period last year.
