Family denies allegations as cops fatally wound St Catherine man
Published:Friday | January 3, 2025 | 12:11 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
The relatives of Richard Thomas are disputing the police’s account of what led to the fatal shooting of the St Catherine man during a police operation in Lakes Pen, Spanish Town, on Thursday morning.
The police claim that Thomas was shot during an alleged confrotation with a police team about 4:30 a.m. and that a Glock 19 firearm and four rounds of ammunition were recovered at the scene.
However, Thomas’ family strongly disputes this account, accusing the cops of misconduct and a possible cover-up.
“I woke up after 5 on Thursday morning and heard hollering and screaming in the yard,” one of Thomas’ aunts told The Gleaner. “When we come out, dem say police killed Richard, and mi tell them Richard isn’t a gunman or bad man. When we come out, we see pure police and soldier, and they telling me we can’t go there.”
Thomas’s mother, Karlen Deer, was adamant that her son did not have a weapon.
“Mi son didn’t have no gun,” she said. “They come with warrant and them knock the door, and he opened the door. They searched and didn’t find anything. They didn’t tell us the reason for them to knock someone’s door and search and no find no gun but take his babymother and child and lock them in the bathroom,” she claimed.
Persons close to the family are speculating that the shooting may be linked to a clandestine operation involving stolen gas oil, allegedly smuggled from a bus company.
According to these sources, Thomas’s phone contained information that could implicate police officers in the illegal scheme.
The allegations have added to the tension surrounding the incident, prompting calls for transparency and accountability.
The police, on the other hand, insist that Thomas was shot during a confrontation and that the firearm found at the scene was his.
The Independent Commission of Investigations and the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau of the Jamaica Constabulary Force are investigating the incident.