JFJ 'deeply disturbed' by Granville police shooting and handling of woman's body

Human rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) is expressing grave concern regarding Sunday's police fatal shooting in Granville, St James, while raising questions about how the crime scene was handled.

Forty-five-year-old Latoya Bulgin, otherwise called ‘Buju’, was shot and killed during a protest in the community over the police killing of a 17-year-old boy one week earlier.

According to reports, the woman allegedly got into an altercation with police personnel who were monitoring the demonstration. Video footage of the interaction showed Bulgin, who was in a vehicle, attempting to drive off after which the policeman discharged his firearm.

However, JFJ noted that the Use of Force Policy of the Jamaica Constabulary Force makes it clear that an individual involved in an altercation with officers should not lose their life unless there is an imminent and proportionate threat to life. 

"Critically, the JCF Use of Force Policy is explicit that firearms will not be discharged at a vehicle simply because it has moved," JFJ said.

The group said the incident raises serious questions about the proportional use of lethal force and the risk that such actions may be perceived as extrajudicial.

JFJ also said a "deeply disturbing" aspect of this incident is the handling of Bulgin's body. 

It said videos appear to show officers "hauling her body from the vehicle and flinging it into the back of a police van". 

JFJ pointed out that the JCF's own Use of Force Policy requires that post-incident procedures include the management and preservation of the scene, and that the evidential trail must not be jeopardised.

"The manner in which Ms Bulgin's remains were handled falls short of those obligations, compromises the integrity of the investigation, and fails to uphold the basic dignity owed to every person in death," JFJ said.

JFJ also used the incident to highlight the need for body-worn cameras for members of the police force.

"The Granville incident — a patrol presence at a community protest — was precisely the type of high-interaction situation where body-worn cameras should have been used," it said.

JFJ said the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has confirmed that none of the three officers assigned to crowd control duties at the time of the shooting were equipped with a body camera.

It noted that private closed-circuit television footage once again filled the gap that official equipment should have covered.

"While JFJ welcomes the swift action by the JCF High Command in placing the involved officer on interdiction, this must be matched by a firm commitment to the full utilisation and consistent deployment of body-worn cameras, especially as Jamaica continues to face an elevated rate of fatal shootings by members of the security forces," JFJ said.

It argued that accountability cannot rely on the chance presence of third-party footage. 

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