Aspiring artiste shot by cop

Residents of Irish Town, St Andrew, believe that one of their own was killed last Friday because of a misunderstanding

The Gordon Town police and the Independent Commission of Investigations are reportedly investigating an incident near Maryland in St Andrew about 2:45 p.m., in which a would-be robber was fatally shot by an off-duty policeman. The cops say they are searching for a second suspect, who they believe escaped from the scene.

But residents say Steven Brown, 30, an aspiring recording artiste, was shot due to a mix-up. They say that he lost his wallet while on board a truck, and made attempts to retrieve it from the vehicle. On another attempt, tragedy struck.

"So dem mussi bum-rush the truck before and them come fi bum-rush it again. So him a go up in a taxi and come out and go to the truck and the man (truck driver) shot him 'cause him coulda feel like dem come fi violate him again," one resident said.

Shadena Robinson, 23, remembered her brother as protective and one who was working hard to find fame in music. He went by the stage name Twist The GB.

"He was very protective of me because I'm the youngest. We had plans for his music video on Saturday and of course I was looking forward to it. I supported him in everything because he always wanted to do music, that's what he aspired towards. But me and mom always encouraged him to do something else on the side and he was also doing that. We really never expected this to happen," a teary-eyed Robinson shared. Meanwhile, residents expressed fear that their usually quiet farming community is being invaded by criminal elements, and called for a greater presence by the security forces.