Shooting suspect nabbed after 20 years

Two decades since he allegedly shot a woman in the face in front of her child, disfiguring her features and altering her speech for life, Collin ‘Tumpa Dragon’ Mowatt has been nabbed.

On Wednesday, Mowatt, who was in his early 40s at the time, was charged for the 2006 incident, which still sends chills through Lloyds district in St Thomas.

Now 61, and after being implicated in another firearm-related matter in St Ann last December, sleuths in the eastern parish moved in, slapping handcuffs on a man whose case preceded computer record storage at their stations.

“We have often heard the cliché, ‘The long arm of the law’, and in this case, the arm of the law was 20 years long,” said Deputy Superintendent Rohan Ritchie, commanding officer for the St Thomas Police Division, who praised cohesive and decisive collaboration between various police outfits across divisions for the arrest.

“We are talking about charges being laid after 20 years. This was a time before technology, when logs were mainly done in books, and for the police to have that file ready, preserved, and put together so as to lay charges as soon as he came into custody, that was a major success,” said Ritchie, adding that the arrest is also a product of the public’s confidence in the police in St Thomas.

ALLEGATIONS

According to investigators, Mowatt reportedly had a conflict with the father of the woman’s child and called her to speak to her about it. The woman hung up the phone on him. About 1:30 p.m. on the day in question, Mowatt allegedly accosted the woman at her home with two firearms and shot her in the face. The bullet exited through her mouth and the young child she was holding reportedly fell from her hands. She was subsequently taken to hospital, managing to survive the incident.

Mowatt reportedly fled and had been on the run ever since.

It was not immediately clear what the status of the St Ann investigation was, but Mowatt was transported to the Morant Bay lock-up on Wednesday. He has been charged with shooting with intent, wounding with intent, and illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

The police are now seeking additional witnesses to come forward with statements in relation to the shooting case.

“We have found some persons, some of whom have given statements, but we have a couple of them who are deceased among the list. So we want a boost, so to speak, to see if other persons can come forward with additional evidence,” said one sleuth, noting that the incident was carried out in the full view of residents of the community.

The incident, he said, also sparked a slew of shootings in the area.

“We are hoping that we can gather as much information and secure as many witnesses as possible to come forward with statements,” Ritchie stressed.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com