Residents of Denham Town blocked certain areas with old furniture and refrigerators yesterday to protest the killing of a man from the community allegedly by police on Wednesday.
The deceased has been identified as Nicholas Miller. The Independent Commission of Investigations, which is investigating, stated that the police reported that a team on mobile patrol were engaged in gunfire by men exiting a Black Honda Stream motor car. It is reported that the men ran in different directions. Subsequently, residents were seen with a man suffering from gunshot injuries, who was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Residents said that Miller, 24, had finished work as a bearer and was leaning on his bike playing games on his phone while awaiting an anticipated meal. They have indicated that Miller moved his nieces to safety inside the yard during the explosions and that is when the police shot him. Miller's relative, Monique Easy, lamented that Miller left behind two children.
"Miller fight fi him life, enuh. Miller all grab the dirt fi try save him life, mi neva see somebody grab dirt," she said. Shadeen Johnson, Miller's cousin, said he had a jovial personality and loved the children in the community.
"The citizens need something to happen, where is the MP? There are decent citizens living in Denham Town, everyone is not the same. Why are we being treated like dogs and we are not the worst," she said.
Senior Superintendent Michael Phipps, who is the commander for the Kingston Western Police Division, said the incident emanated from a pursuit of a motor vehicle with armed men armed aboard who were involved in a robbery along Spanish Town road in the St Andrew South division.
"The information was circulated by the police radio network, the officers who were on patrol in the Denham Town community actually spotted this particular vehicle. They went in pursuit of the vehicle during which time men from the vehicle alighted, opened gunfire on the police and the police returned fire. After the shooting subsided one man was found with what appeared to be gunshot injuries," Phipps said. "The motor car that was involved in the robbery as well as the items that were stolen were recovered at the scene." He added that no firearm was retrieved from the scene.
Phipps noted that Miller was reporting on condition of bail at the Denham Town Police Station.
