Operations under way in Tivoli Gardens after men fire at police

 

Several operations were carried out in Tivoli Gardens in the Kingston Western Police Division in search of men who fired on a police team on Thursday morning.

 

One of the operations resulted in the seizure of a firearm.

 

Senior Superintendent Michael Phipps, head of the police division, says about 3:30 p.m., the police responded to reports of explosions in Denham Town.

 

The body of a man - identified as Rondall Keith Douglas, of a Tivoli Gardens address - was found on Albert Street, in the vicinity of the Denham Town Police Station.

 

SSP Phipps says officers were processing the scene when they came under attack.

 

"The information we have got so far is suggesting that he was actually in the area and a call was made to persons and he was actually set upon, shot and killed. There was some information which was spreading within the Tivoli Gardens area that he was killed by the police and we are theorising that as a result of that misinformation, the guys came and they fired shots towards the police station, damaging two service vehicles," he reported. 

 

SSP Phipps said the attack was repelled and a firearm and ammunition were seized.

 

He said operations are ongoing in the Tivoli Gardens area to locate the men responsible for the attack. 

 

"The security presence is heightened in and around the general Denham Town and the Tivoli Gardens area. We are advising that persons can traverse the area freely, but they should at some time be prepared for some delays due to the operation that is ongoing. But we are trying to make the area as safe as possible for them to traverse." 

 

In the meantime, SSP Phipps said it is suspected that the shooting in Denham Town was arranged by someone in custody. 

 

"This particular matter seems to have emanated from a situation where some call was made from our police lockups that persons were to come and try to insert contraband inside our lockups. Persons who were on the inside of the lockups may have sent message to rival gang members that these persons were expected to be coming in the area, and as a result of that, we are theorising that they were set upon and this person shot and killed," he said.