Farmer killed in police operation in St Catherine; INDECOM launches probe

A St Catherine farmer was fatally shot by the police during an early-morning operation in Linstead on Thursday, after allegedly pointing a firearm at officers who had gone to his home with a search warrant.

He has been identified as 31-year-old Delton 'Tea Bag' Johnson of Cheesefield district in Linstead.

Reports are that at about 6 a.m., police personnel went to Johnson’s premises in search of illegal weapons and wanted men.

According to police reports, Johnson, a livestock farmer, was accosted and searched; however, he reportedly broke free and ran into an unfinished building, where he allegedly retrieved a firearm from beneath a bucket.

Police allege Johnson pointed the weapon at them, and they took evasive action and opened fire, hitting him.

He reportedly fell to the ground while clutching the weapon, and a .38 revolver with the serial number erased was allegedly recovered from the scene.

Johnson was taken to the Linstead Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators from the Independent Commission of Investigations processed the scene and have launched a formal probe into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting.

-Rasbert Turner

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