By Erica James-King, Staff Reporter WESTERN BUREAU:
MINISTER OF National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, said yesterday that investigations have already started into the circumstances which led to the fatal shooting of two elderly men by the police in Flankers, St. James, on Saturday which triggered a mass protest by residents.
The Minister, in expressing condolences to the friends and relatives of the deceased, David Bacchas, a 63-year-old taxi driver; and Cecil Brown, a 66-year-old newspaper vendor, said members of the security forces were maintaining a presence in the area to ensure that calm was fully restored.
"I think the country would want to be assured that the investigations have begun. The police have been in touch with the families and are seeking to do whatever they can to help them, and of course that process is going to continue," Dr. Phillips said.
At the same time, the Minister noted that the officers involved have been removed from front-line duties and the Commissioner of Police has instructed that they be taken to Kingston, in order to allow the investigations to proceed and to be concluded speedily.
"I think it now remains for all persons of goodwill in the Flankers community and in the wider Montego Bay area, to work closely with the police and with other citizens of goodwill, to ensure that normal activity returns quickly in the community to ensure that the economic life on which it depends, and on which the whole country depends, can be restored," Dr. Phillips said.
But even while the Minister was giving this assurance, the National Association of Taxi Operators (NATO) was deciding to withdraw their services islandwide. In a hastily called meeting at the Wexford Court Hotel in Montego Bay yesterday, the 13,000-member organisation took the decision that they had to make a symbolic gesture in support of their slain colleague.
Edgerton Newman, the organisation's general secretary, told The Gleaner that his association had very little choice but to stay on its present course.
"We are going ahead with the decision to withdraw service, in a mark of respect for the operator, whose life was claimed on Saturday. We are also insisting that the police stand all of the funeral expenses for the men. We will not settle for less," he said. "We are also withdrawing our service because we want to see clear signs that the police are speeding up thorough investigations into the incident."
In the meantime, the hierarchy of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is also assuring the public that no stones will be left unturned in trying to get to the bottom of the controversial killings.
Insisting that "everything is being done from the police's side to ensure that justice is served," Assistant Commissioner of Police Linval Bailey said that a team from the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI), led by Acting Assistant Commissioner Granville Gause has made considerable ground into the investigations.
"We encourage the people, relatives and associates of the two gentlemen who died, and the persons who were in the car to get an independent attorney to follow the investigation closely...we want to ensure that transparency is the order of the day," he said.
He added: "We, the police force, can ensure and will ensure that those involved in the shootings (the policemen) don't leave the island...they will not get leave (of absence) during this period. We have people at the airports who will be looking out for people who are associated with this incident to ensure that they don't leave before the investigation is completed."
According to the police, on Saturday about 3:35 a.m. in carrying out operations in Red Dirt, Flankers, they saw six men armed with guns attempting to stop a Nissan Sunny motorcar driven by David Bacchas. On approaching, the men reportedly opened fire. An exchanged of gunfire took place after which the men made good their escape. It was discovered later that Bacchas, Brown and a 65-year-old woman had sustained injuries. Both Bacchas and Brown later died.
Residents were, however, not buying into the police's version of events and on Saturday mounted a day-long roadblock, cutting off the eastern entrance to the city of Montego Bay and forced much commercial activity in the city to a halt.
