Police intelligence identified Acadia Drive fatality as area don, says detective
Published:Friday | February 13, 2026 | 12:09 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
A detective corporal told the Home Circuit Court on Wednesday that police intelligence had identified one of the three men killed during a January 2013 operation on Acadia Drive as an area don in Grants Pen.
The officer, who initially led the investigation before it was taken over by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), said intelligence indicated that Eucliffe Dyer was regarded as an area don. He made the disclosure in response to a question about whether he considered Dyer to hold that status.
Earlier, the witness testified that Dyer had been reporting to police on a gun-related charge before his death. However, he said he did not know whether Dyer had been returning from the Constant Spring Police Station on the day of the incident, where he was required to report as a condition of bail.
Sergeant Simroy Mott, Corporal Donovan Fullerton, and Constables Orandy Rose, Andrew Smith and Sheldon Richards are on trial for murder in relation to the fatal shooting of Eucliffe Dyer, Matthew Lee and Mark Allen on January 12, 2013, along Acadia Drive in St Andrew.
The detective corporal said Corporal Fullerton and Sergeant Mott told him at the scene that the men had engaged police in a shootout. He was informed that officers were conducting a vehicle checkpoint when they signalled a blue Mitsubishi Outlander to stop. The vehicle reportedly hesitated before stopping, and its occupants allegedly exited and opened fire at the police.
Officers returned fire, the witness said. One of the men ran from the vehicle, but, according to Mott, he was not in a position to shoot. After the exchange, two firearms were recovered and the area was secured by responding police personnel.
Later that day at the House of Tranquillity Funeral Home, Mott, Fullerton and Richards identified the bodies as the same men involved in the reported gunfight, the court heard.
Consistent with training
Under cross-examination by defence attorney Hugh Wildman, the detective corporal confirmed that he instructed the officers to provide statements and collected written accounts from Fullerton and Rose, who are represented by Wildman. He said the statements were taken after he completed his investigation and were later handed over to INDECOM in keeping with protocol.
Asked about police training, the witness said officers are trained and legally permitted to use force, including lethal force, if confronted by armed attackers. He added that the actions described to him were consistent with training and the Constabulary Force Act.
He also described the accused officers as men of good character, calling Mott a strong leader and saying he had no prior issues with any of them.
Earlier, the court heard that Inspector Vernal Thompson arrived alone in a Kingfish police vehicle and did not exit or fire a weapon. That account differs from evidence given by Agriculture Minister Floyd Green, who testified that he saw a Kingfish vehicle arrive with two officers, one of whom exited and fired at a man who appeared already dead.
He also said that five other officers were already on the scene at the time.
The trial continues today.