‘I didn’t kill the cop’

A Mona Commons resident, who goes by the alias ‘Southie’, is denying allegations that he was involved in the shooting death of police officer Corporal Devon Thomas.

Corporal Thomas was gunned down last Friday in the Mona Commons community when two armed men approached him at a bar shortly after 8 p.m. and opened fire.

Allegations were made in a video on YouTube against ‘Southie’ and another man, who goes by the alias ‘Numba’, that they are area leaders who control the community. The video accuses the men of knowing the persons responsible for the murder. “Nothing can gwan in a Mona Commons and unu no know wah gwan,” a male voice in the video said, asking the police to visit these men to find more information.

Southie, who agreed to speak with The Gleaner, denies these allegations.

“Some people a try get me twisted … the man dem get too bitter against one another,” he said. Southie said he was on the road when the murder took place, as he is a taxi operator. Thus, he is surprised that his name is being called by persons, based on the video released.

‘FEAR FOR MY LIFE’

Southie added, “Right now, I fear for my life … I have no interactions with this man. He is a youth for me. He could have been my son.” He told The Gleaner that he first heard about the murder when he came home in the night. By the next day, his sister told him about accusations on social media that he was involved in the death of the constable.

He said he is concerned about the bad name the community is getting by such incidents. “It just make the community look a way… . It make we look like we are killers and murderers over here. Good people come from the community,” he said.

“It is really unfortunate. This community has always been used as a political football. It has been stigmatised,” said a resident. “People are quick to point fingers without a thread of evidence.”

The resident, who wished to remain unnamed, said Southie is not a don, he is a taxi driver who has good relations with residents.

“In our community, we try to keep this place at peace … . We don’t have internal conflict to this extent. It is not a part of our culture,” he said.

He also expressed his dissatisfaction with persons being quick to characterise the community as a “mess”, especially when representatives of the two political parties have ignored the interests of the area to score political points.

The murder of Constable Thomas has been condemned by Opposition Spokesperson for National Security Peter Bunting and the Jamaica Police Federation.

Superintendent in charge of the St Andrew Central Police Division, Marlon Nesbeth, said the police are “making some headway” in the investigation, although no clear motive has been established for the killing.