Freed alleged gangster shot dead in Grange Hill
Published:Wednesday | June 8, 2022 | 12:10 AM
One of the six alleged members of the Westmoreland-based King Valley Gang who were freed in July 2020 was on Tuesday shot to death during an alleged gun battle with criminals in Grange Hill.
Copeland Sankey, otherwise called ‘Tupac’, met his demise after he and a group of armed men reportedly went to Crowder community, Grange Hill, in search of a man known as ‘Big Youth’ but encountered heavily armed gunmen on their way out.
During a shoot-out that allegedly ensued, the self-proclaimed farmer was killed while the two men who were injured were arrested on reasonable suspicion of illegal possession of firearm. They were placed under police guard.
A black 9mm pistol with an empty magazine was reportedly found in the car in which Sankey was travelling. Eighteen live 9mm and 14 live 5.56 cartridges were reportedly found in his possession.
A Glock 9mm pistol with four .40 cartridges and four 9mm spent casings were also reportedly found at the scene.
The incident occurred about 5 a.m.
According to a police source, prior to Sankey’s death, he and his crew, who were travelling in a motor car, reportedly went to Crowder and kicked down a woman’s door in search of their target but did not find him.
After leaving the community, the men were pounced upon by attackers who fired at them.
During the shoot-out, the operator of the car in which Sankey was aboard managed to drive away and transported the injured, including himself, to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital where the two injured men were arrested.
Sankey was among six men who were found not guilty of breaching the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organizations) Act on Tuesday by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes in 2016.
The men were accused of terrorising the citizens of Grange Hill and its environs in Westmoreland, carrying out contract killings, rapes, and a string of bike robberies, leaving unsuspecting victims in fear.
But they were freed by the judge, who ruled that the prosecution did not provide enough evidence to convict them.
Sankey, on his release, then had told The Gleaner that he was wrongfully arrested and that he was an innocent farmer whose livelihood had crumbled when the police took him into custody.
“People know that I am innocent. I did feel bad, terrified, and things like that. Just to know I am innocent and to be embarrassed like this,” said Sankey, who once planted cane and operated a farm with more than 100 pigs,
“My farm get mash up. Everything gone down the drain, just like that. ... Have to just go back from basics and restart,” he had said.