Police kills vendor while chasing robber

A shooting incident in the usually busy commercial district of downtown Kingston has left vendors irate after a colleague was shot while an off-duty policeman was chasing a chain grabber.

The STAR understands that scores of people were sent scampering for cover and when the explosions seized, a vendor whose alias is 'Rasta' was seen suffering form gunshot wounds.

He later died on the spot, in the vicinity of the Captains Bakery and Grill and a wholesale establishment.

The incident transpired about 2:40 p.m. when several students were making their way home from school.

When THE STAR arrived on the scene, the body of the deceased man was still laying on the sidewalk.

The St Andrew Central police arrived on the seen shortly after and cordoned off the area.

An eyewitness told our news team, "Children could have gotten shot. Di man not even hold up the gun inna the air, a forward him hold it and a fire, anybody coulda dead. More people could have died."

Another eyewitness who is a vendor from the area gave THE STAR her account of what transpired.

The vendor said, "Mi hear the man say don't move. The man run off and mi hear three shots. Right now mi ears a hot mi, mi coulda get shot to, right under the nozzle mi did deh."

A woman who said she normally buys her escallion and thyme from the deceased man told THE STAR that she believes he was also robbed while he took his last breath.

She said, "Him just put a scandal bag a money inna him pocket and by the time me run off and come back dem can't find the money. Mi see when him tek him last gasp."

When our news team contacted the Head of the Kingston Central police, Superintendent Micheal Scott, he told THE STAR he had limited information regarding the incident.

Supt Scott said, "I am just coming from a meeting, however I was briefed that a policeman was being robbed by two men and he challenged the two robbers and a vendor was shot. That's all the information I have at this point."