Ceila Morgan, News Editor, Gleaner Power 106
DONAVON 'BULBIE' BENNETT
JAMAICA'S MOST wanted criminal, 43-year-old Donovan 'Bulbie' Bennett was shot and killed during a joint police military operation in Rock River, Clarendon, yesterday morning.
Bulbie's driver was also killed in the alleged shootout.
As the reputed leader of the 'Clansman' gang, which has operated out of Spanish Town in St. Catherine, Bulbie was on the police most wanted list for more than 10 years. The two men were killed during a predawn raid on Bulbie's sprawling seven-bedroom house in the usually quiet Tanaky District about 800 metres off the Rock River Road.
FIRED ON
"When the police approached the house they were fired on and a shootout ensued and Mr. Bennett and a man known only as 'Nathan' were shot and killed," Sergeant Steve Brown, public relations officer for Operation Kingfish, told reporters yesterday.
A .44 Desert Eagle semi-automatic pistol was reportedly taken from Bulbie while a Ruger semi automatic pistol was taken from his driver. The bodies of the men were flown from the scene by helicopter. However, police personnel, citing security reasons, declined to disclose the location of the bodies.
WOMAN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
A woman who was occupying the house at the time of the raid was taken into custody.
When The Gleaner visited the scene, members of the Caribbean Search Team along with detectives from Operation Kingfish were busy combing the premises for clues. A strong detachment of soldiers patrolled the entrance to the district. Residents who crowded the entrance to the district were tightlipped and the crowd gradually dwindled leaving a palpable tension when reports circulated that a group of men from Spanish Town would be in the area.
Some residents who ventured to speak with The Gleaner said they were told the house was being built by a returning resident. Others who said they heard the explosions said that they believed the returning resident was being robbed.
Yesterday Sergeant Brown advised residents across the island to call Kingfish at 811 when suspicious of persons who move into their neighbourhoods.
One resident told The Gleaner he was aware of construction taking place and saw materials being transported. But, according to him, when he made enquiries he was told the house was being built for 'big man'.
"Mi never know sey is a criminal live there. Mi neva know seh a dis a big house a build," he said. "The workers have access to everywhere in di house but when it paint up it lock up tight."
OWN WATER SUPPLY
Save for a house in the early stages of construction, the closest house to Bulbie's is about a mile away. The recently constructed white two-storey grilled house, which boasts a view of the Rio Minho River lazily meandering through the lush Rock River Valley, has its own water supply via six water tanks operated by a generator.
Seven other premises, allegedly owned by 'Bulbie' in Kingston, St. Catherine and Clarendon, were also searched yesterday.
Meanwhile National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips commended the work of the security forces in locating 'Bulbie'.
In a statement yesterday Dr. Phillips attributed the success of the operation to support received from members of the public and the superior intelligence of the security forces.
Former St. Catherine Member of Parliament Heather Robinson, whose resignation from Parliament in 1996 was triggered by the actions of the Clansman Gang in Spanish Town, said: "It is a blessed day for Jamaica and may Jamaica have eternal life."
