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A resident of Linstead, St. Catherine; Councillor Herbert Garricks; MP Denise Daley; and Corporal Rohan James
A policeman died after he was hit on the head with a stone by a man of unsound mind in Linstead, St. Catherine on Friday morning.
He has been identified as Detective Constable Paul Gordon, who was attached to the Scenes of Crime Unit at the Linstead Police Station.
It's reported that about 6:45, Constable Gordon was walking in Linstead when he was hit on the head with a stone.
He died in hospital.
His attacker was later shot and killed by the police.
A resident of Linstead told Radio Jamaica News that the mentally ill man had been showing signs of aggression for some time.
"Him keep on giving himself trouble. Him just go around lick down people...and when him lick dem down, him run and go hide," she recalled.
'Take them from the streets'
The incident has again sparked calls for the removal of people who are mentally ill from the streets.
Herbert Garricks, Councillor for the Linstead Division, said the mentally ill man was reported to the police and health authorities after each violent incident.
"I am so upset that we keep hearing that everything is okay in the country and some of the little things that we need to see to as government, we're not looking to them. And today we're mourning the loss of a young man, somebody who people deem to be respectful, somebody who people deem to be very hardworking, somebody who people deem to have a bright future in serving our country," he lamented.
Also expressing regret at the officer's death, Opposition Spokesperson on Local Government Denise Daley, insisted every effort should be made to remove people of unsound mind from the streets.
Miss Daley, who is the Member of Parliament for St. Catherine Eastern, also noted that Friday's incident in Linstead was not an isolated one.
"This man has been reported over and over again about the danger that he really posed in the street. He has been creating nothing but hacov on the street. Why was he not taken off?" she questioned.
More resources needed
Corporal Rohan James, Chairman of the Police Federation, has called for more resources to be expended to ensure people of unsound mind "are given due regard and attention and the assistance necessary so as to prevent any such occurrence like what has transpired today."
Corporal James said the current situation is "untenable" and requires a "hands on approach" to see to it that the metally ill get help.
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