Wait-A-Bit residents demand justice for ‘Laughy’

WESTERN BUREAU:

Residents of Wait-A-Bit in Trelawny were in a militant mood yesterday as they staged a protest in front of the community’s police station and blocked the main thoroughfare to express their outrage over what they claim was the cold-blooded killing of a resident by police.

According to police reports, 40-year-old Fabian Carter was shot and killed early Thursday morning during a tussle with a member of a police team who had gone to his home to investigate a complaint made by another resident.

However, community members have rejected the police’s version of events. They allege that Carter - affectionately known as ‘Smiley’ and ‘Laughy’ - was unarmed and gunned down in cold blood after officers called him out of his house.

"The man was in his bed when they called him out. He answered, opened the door, and came outside," one resident told The Gleaner. “What the police didn’t know was that three tilers who were working on the house and staying there heard everything that happened.”

“We don’t support crime around here - you see how we deal with yam and goat thieves - but Laughy wasn’t a criminal,” the resident continued. “He was as humble as a lamb... like a little child in a big man’s body. It would be wicked of us to stay silent after witnessing the police murder him. We want justice for Laughy. He didn’t deserve this.”

'ALWAYS PLEASANT AND SMILING'

Superintendent Winston Milton, the commanding officer for Trelawny, acknowledged the incident but said he was tied up with other matters and would provide an official statement later. Further attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

Carter’s sister, who lives overseas, was devastated by the news. Still mourning the recent deaths of her mother and another brother, she described Fabian as harmless and full of joy.

“My brother was no troublemaker. Despite his age, he behaved like a child,” she said. “He was always pleasant and smiling - hence the nicknames Smiley and Laughy. Everyone loved him for his personality. I'm not surprised the community came out in such large numbers to protest.”

Residents said that following the shooting, officers from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) visited the home and collected evidence and statements. However, INDECOM has not issued a statement, and efforts to reach the agency were also unsuccessful.

Wait-A-Bit has now joined a growing list of communities across Jamaica accusing the police of engaging in extrajudicial killings - allegations that the leadership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force has consistently denied.

Since the start of the year, more than 80 people have been killed in alleged confrontations with the police. Human rights group Jamaicans for Justice has described the situation as alarming and warned that, at the current rate, police-involved killings could surpass 250 for the year.

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com