KINGSTON, Jamaica, Oct 17, CMC – A second police officer has died following a shootout with gunmen in Sligoville, St Catherine, on Friday, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has confirmed.
Constable Devoney Rose, 19, died on Saturday while receiving treatment at Spanish Town Hospital after being critically injured in the confrontation.
He was shot during the operation that claimed the life of Corporal Trevoy Shaw, who was attached to the JCF’s Special Operations Unit, and also left several officers and a 10-year-old girl injured.
The JCF High Command has expressed condolences to Rose’s family, friends and colleagues.
The force said its Chaplaincy Services, Medical Services and Welfare branches are providing support to his relatives and fellow officers.
Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake condemned the attack on the officers, saying they had come under “heavy and sustained gunfire” while pursuing a high-risk target linked to violent crime.
Blake described the incident as a reminder of the “brutal conditions” officers face in carrying out their duties and vowed that the force would not be intimidated.
“The Jamaica Constabulary Force will not be intimidated. We will not retreat, and we will not relent,” he said.
Two gunmen were also killed in the confrontation.
CMC/ed/26