Killing spree

A 21-year-old police constable is at the centre of a murder-for-hire investigation that has rocked the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), after he was slapped with charges for three homicides committed within a 48-hour period across two parishes.

Constable Qwaine Blake, assigned to the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), was formally charged twice within a one-month period, following rulings from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), becoming one of multiple lawmen implicated in an alleged criminal network operating within the Corporate Area and St Catherine.

Blake’s latest charges, laid on March 27 by investigators at the Major Investigation Division, stem from a double murder carried out on February 7 along Fairfield Avenue, behind Boulevard SuperCentre, in the St Andrew South Police Division.

Those killed were Tyrese ‘City Puss’ McKenzie and Josh Harvey.

Reports indicate that both men were standing along the roadway about 4:30 p.m., when a grey Toyota Probox motor car drove up.

A man reportedly alighted from the vehicle and opened fire, killing McKenzie on the roadway before chasing Harvey into a nearby garage, where he was also shot and killed.

The attackers then fled the scene.

Investigators say that less than 48 hours later, forensic findings linked Blake miles away to Boscobel in St Mary, where 59-year-old businessman Garfield Singh was gunned down at his home about 3:30 a.m. on February 9.

At the time, it was reported that men dressed in police uniforms, who allegedly identified themselves as law-enforcement officers, gained access to the premises before opening fire, killing Singh.

The murder sparked outrage and shock in the parish.

Blake was initially charged on February 19 in connection with Singh’s murder.

However, following further forensic and ballistic analyses, the DPP ruled that he should also be charged for the earlier double killing, bringing the total to three murders within two days.

He has been slapped with a raft of other charges, including using a firearm to commit a felony, possession of prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition, stockpiling ammunition, dealing in firearms and ammunition, possession of criminal property, and breaches of the Road Traffic Act.

Another policeman, also assigned to the PSTEB, is also fingered in the web of deadly crimes.

Constable Daz Haynes, 25, is implicated in the widening probe, along with his 19-year-old brother, Tyrone DaCosta.

All three men were apprehended on February 9, just hours after Singh’s killing, during a police operation along Port Henderson Road in Portmore, St Catherine.

Lawmen reportedly intercepted the vehicle in which they were travelling and discovered a 9mm Taurus pistol, as well as ammunition and cash.

A further search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered an M16 rifle along with additional rounds.

Subsequent investigations, including ballistic and forensic testing, reportedly linked the seized weapons to the murder scenes in both St Andrew and St Mary, forming a critical part of the case against the accused.

Haynes has since been charged with misprision of felony, knowing that a serious crime (a felony) has been committed and deliberately failing to report it to the authorities.

For DaCosta, charges includes possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition, and dealing in firearms and ammunition.

The Independent Commission of Investigations and the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau have both been notified, as the probe intensifies into what authorities suspect is a murder-for-hire syndicate involving serving members of the police force.

In the wake of the developments, the Police High Command has reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on criminal conduct within its ranks, maintaining that any member found in breach of the law will be “thoroughly investigated without fear or favour”.

The case has sent shock waves across the island, raising fresh concerns about corruption and criminal infiltration within the security forces, even as the authorities insist that no one is above the law.

The latest serious crime statistics indicates that as at March 28, some 130 people were murdered across the country.

This represents a 29 per cent reduction when compared to the same period last year.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com