(Jamaica Gleaner) While the police have not yet released the names of the three men killed in an alleged gun battle in Grange Hill, Westmoreland, early Wednesday morning, residents have identified them and linked them to the notorious Ants Posse Gang.
The men were reportedly killed on Mint Road in an area of the community known as Crowder.
Residents identified the men as 20-year-old Jason ‘Ghost’ Hall, 21-year-old Jervis ‘Shortman’ Smith, and a man known by the aliases ‘Blingas’ and ‘Fire Man’ – all of whom were reportedly wanted by the police.
“A bad man dem … . Dem and di police dem always in a shoot-out, but this time, it didn’t work out fi dem at all,” an elderly resident of the community told The Gleaner yesterday. “We tired a di shooting and killing. Mi want back di good Grange Hill, so mi not mourning fi dem.”
According to reports, the police were conducting an intelligence-driven operation early Wednesday morning in search of wanted men and illegal firearms. Around 6 a.m., they approached a house on Mint Road and were reportedly met with gunfire. A gun battle ensued.
After the shooting subsided, the three men were reportedly found suffering from gunshot wounds. They were later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Two illegal firearms – a 9mm Taurus G2C pistol and a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol with a magazine containing six rounds – were seized.
A police source has confirmed that the primary target of the operation was also involved in the gunfight, but he managed to escape. It is not clear if he was hit during the exchange of gunfire.
In recent years, Grange Hill has become a hotspot for gang violence in Westmoreland. The community is home to the King Valley Gang and the Ants Posse Gang, who are locked in a violent feud over turf and the spoils from criminal activities.
Last September, a curfew was imposed on the community, and additional police resources were deployed following a surge in killings and threats, including the murder of a student near the entrance to Grange Hill High School. The school, along with Grange Hill Primary, was temporarily closed due to threats from gangsters.
During one of the violent episodes in September 2022, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang urged security forces to use lethal force if confronted by armed gunmen.
“Any time a man take up a gun after a police officer, I expect [the] commissioner to train them [so that] when him fire, he must not miss … . There may be fatal shootings because man shoot gun after them. I am not telling any policeman not to fire back, and I said it here in Westmoreland. I am not sending any ambulance out there either,” Chang said.
Yesterday, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) expressed grave concern over an increase in fatal shootings by the security forces since the start of this year.
The human rights lobby indicated that up to yesterday, there had been 50 fatal shootings – a dramatic increase over the 19 recorded over the corresponding period in 2024.
“This represents an unacceptable and troubling trend that threatens Jamaica’s democratic principles and human rights advancements,” JFJ said in a press release.
“If this trend persists, Jamaica risks regressing to the dark days before the establishment of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), when accountability for security force actions was virtually non-existent. The progress we have made in the past decade in holding law enforcement accountable and protecting human rights is at serious risk,” it added, warning that if the trend continues, more than 250 civilians could be killed by the end of the year.
JFJ was careful to clarify that it does not immediately label these incidents as extrajudicial killings, acknowledging that each case must be investigated individually. However, it ponted to a disturbing pattern that has emerged from statements made by INDECOM: “no body-worn cameras were reported as issued or worn in these fatal encounters”, call for the infrastructure needed to effectively deploy body cameras on a wide scale in the Jamaica Constabulary Force be put in place swiftly.
“JFJ underscores the importance of upholding the rule of law, particularly amid rising crime rates. Now more than ever, law enforcement must operate with the highest levels of transparency and accountability. We cannot allow this rollback of progress to continue unchecked,” it said.
