Police personnel inspect this marked service vehicle, with the bullet-riddled body of their slain colleague, Senior Superintendent Lloyd McDonald, slumped in the driver's seat. He was shot and killed by gunmen Friday night at the intersection of Devon and Waterloo roads, St. Andrew.
-Rudolph Brown photoGlenroy Sinclair and Francine Black
, Staff Reporters
SENIOR DETECTIVES are now pursuing a number of leads into Friday night's killing of Senior Superintendent Lloyd Anthony McDonald, formerly of the Mobile Reserve in Kingston.
A 25-year veteran of the JCF, he became the third member of the island's security forces to have been killed by gunmen. Last month a police corporal on traffic duties was killed in Clarendon, while on Thursday a Jamaica Defence Force Corporal was killed in Portmore, St. Catherine.
Reports are that the 46-year-old officer who was driving a marked patrol car, was trailed by gunmen travelling on a high-powered motor bike. As he was about to negotiate the left turn at the intersection of Waterloo and Devon roads, St. Andrew, the bike pulled alongside the vehicle.
Allegations are that the pillion rider jumped off the bike and shot him at least five times in the head, then opened the front passenger door, took the officer's service pistol from his waistband and sped away down Waterloo Road.
The shooting occurred less than quarter mile from where the former KFC financial controller, Ranil Wijesekera, was killed in a similar fashion in October 2000.
COLLEAGUES
As news of SSP McDonald's death spread, scores of his colleagues converged at the scene. The slain officer's body was slumped to the left, in the front seat, his white T-shirt was soaked with blood streaming from head wounds. Police Commis-sioner Francis Forbes said the JCF was offering a $1 million for information that can lead to the arrest of the policeman's killers.
National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, said the daring attack on SSP McDonald highlighted once again, the extent to which criminals are able to operate in flagrant violation of every principle of orderly and civilised society.
"We are going to have to re-double our efforts. The police are going to have to ensure that we do everything necessary, not only to identify and convict the killers of SSP McDonald, but to ensure that we are to take the fight more vigorously with even greater determination to the criminals who are daily organising the slaying of our citizens," said Dr. Phillips.
Opposition Spokesman on National Security, Derrick Smith, said the officer's death has served as a tragic reminder that the country has been plunged in an abyss of crime and violence.
Back at his home in St. Catherine, a birthday party for his god-daughter was in full swing. When the news of his death reached family members, the party crashed immediately. Up to yesterday his small St. Catherine community was still mourning the loss of a good "community man". SSP McDonald is survived by his wife Donna and two daughters, Shantel, 24 and Danielle, 13.
