Seiveright ‘disturbed’ by reports surrounding St Andrew police shooting

ST ANDREW, Jamaica — Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew North Central Delano Seiveright says he is deeply concerned about reports surrounding the fatal police shooting of a man on Karl Samuda Avenue in St Andrew. “I am very disturbed by what I am hearing, including from good, legitimate folks in the community who are known to be truthful. What I am hearing so far is just extremely disturbing,” the MP shared. Seiveright, who said he knew the deceased, spoke to

Observer Online

from Red Hills Road on Wednesday, where residents had used metal bins, shopping carts and burning debris to block the road in protest.

READ: Fiery roadblock on Red Hills Road as residents protest fatal police shooting

He called for an immediate investigation into the matter. “I want a swift, speedy and transparent investigation by Indecom (Independent Commission of Investigations) and key arms of the Jamaica Constabulary Force also to look into what happened, because the residents are extremely angry, the guy who was killed was said to be sickly, and I think that has really caused much grief among the residents…hence the explosion in anger,” Seiveright said. Videos shared on social media showed angry residents in verbal clashes with law enforcement in the vicinity of PriceSmart, where the debris had been placed to obstruct traffic. Seiveright indicated he was on the scene with residents of the area, which is also referred to as Black Ants Lane, to keep them as calm as possible and maintain a sense of order. “We're monitoring the situation as it stands now. We're clearing the roads, and we hope vehicular traffic will start moving in the coming hours,” he said. The MP also maintained that preserving the relationship between lawmen and locals in the community was paramount. “The challenge that I am having is that this community has been by and large peaceful and this police division…has done very well in terms of keeping crime low,” he said, adding, “The last thing we want is a breakdown in the relationship between the residents and the police.”

Screengrabs from a video showing a roadblock on Red Hills Road as residents protest a police killing (Photo: via TikTok 1lisaunique)