Police say the gun attack on a police family in Portmore, St. Catherine last evening was a reprisal for the fatal shooting of a man yesterday.
Head of police area five, Assistant Commissioner of Police Derrick Knight, has disclosed that the attack is suspected to have been spurred by the death of 23-year-old Raheem Chantiloupe.
He was fatally shot during a confrontation with a police team in Naggo Head in the parish about 3:00 p.m. He had been charged for murder.
Reports are that about 8:20 p.m., three men invaded the family’s home and opened gunfire, wounding a female police inspector and her two daughters —one of whom is a police officer—while her 17-year-old daughter was grazed by a bullet.
The policewoman is reported to have returned gunfire and one man, suspected to be one of the gunmen who invaded her home, was found dead in the aftermath of the incident. He remains unidentified.
The other suspects reportedly escaped nearby. Meantime, a man was taken into custody today (Sep 27).
Reports to Irie FM News are that he was held after he turned up at hospital seeking medical attention for gunshot wounds.
The Inspectorate of the Constabulary and the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom) are probing the death of the man last evening.
Police personnel on and off duty, are being warned by the hierarchy to take the threat assessment against them seriously.
The threat level against the police has been elevated to extreme. Extreme means that attacks against police officers, on or off duty, are imminent.
The raising of the threat level comes, in the aftermath of attacks against at least three police officers at their homes in recent weeks, and several other incidents in which police officers on patrol were fired on.
In addition, the security and intelligence branch has advised, that threats against police officers are being received in St. Catherine, St. Thomas, and St. James.
These are said to be in response to recent fatal shootings in these parishes.
The police high command is urging all police personnel to take this threat assessment seriously, and raise their level of awareness and anticipation, especially off duty.
Police officers are being advised, to take the necessary measures to keep themselves and their families safe.
Members are also being reminded, that they have the full support of the police high command, and that it is lawful to use as much force as is necessary (in keeping with the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s use of force and firearm policy and human rights policy) to defend themselves, their colleagues and citizens against any attack.