SHIELDS
THE POLICE are today expected to formally name the independent investi-gator who will be probing the case of murdered AIDS outreach worker Lenford 'Steve' Harvey.
Mr. Harvey, a former employee at Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS), was found dead on Wednesday November 30, a day after he was allegedly abducted by gunmen who had earlier robbed his Kingston home.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mark Shields told The Gleaner yesterday that a number of civilians are helping the police with the investigations.
DCP Shields said last week he had received numerous calls from international media and human rights groups interested in the case. They are claiming that Mr. Harvey was murdered because of his sexual orientation.
"It is an ongoing investigation, the fact that this is being alleged as a hate crime is something we are treating very seriously. but we are keeping an open mind ... I don't want anyone to assume it's a hate crime," DCP Shields said, adding that a number of witnesses were still being interviewed.
In the meantime DCP Shields has dismissed claims by human rights activists that Jamaica is among countries that has recorded the most hate crimes.
"It is quite unfair and irrational," he said," citing a recent case in Britain where Anthony Walker of Jamaican descent was murdered allegedly by two white youths.
