Gunman posing as passenger charged with murder of St James taxi operator

The police in St James have charged a gunman who posed as a passenger and fatally shot a taxi operator in the head.

Alanzo Vincent, 23, of Rose Heights in the parish, was charged on Wednesday with murder, possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorized possession of ammunition, and using a firearm to commit a felony for the September 1 killing of Maurice Anthony McLaughlin.

Vincent was charged after being interviewed in the presence of his attorney.

The police report that on the day in question McLaughlin, who lived in Copperwood, St James, was driving his grey 2013 Toyota Voxy motor car along the Cambridge main road when Vincent, who was a passenger in the vehicle, reportedly pulled a handgun and opened fire, hitting him in the head.

Following the shooting, Vincent pushed McLaughlin from the vehicle onto the roadway and drove away in the direction of Retrieve in Cambridge, according to the police.

Residents then found McLaughlin with a gunshot wound and assisted him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Shortly thereafter, concerned residents spotted McLaughlin's vehicle in the Roehampton area and alerted the police.

In an attempt to escape, Vincent crashed the vehicle into a ditch off the roadway.

He then fled the vehicle, leaving behind a .40 Ruger pistol with a magazine containing four .40 cartridges, the police reported.

He was subsequently apprehended by the police in the area shortly after fleeing the scene.

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