Jungle in-justice - Llandewey residents say misinformation led to wrong man being killed

Levi Chambers, a motor vehicle detailer of South Haven, St Thomas, was killed yesterday by residents who mistook him for Davian Bryan, the main suspect in the abduction of two girls in Bath, St Thomas.

Chambers was killed in Llandewey, a district in the western section of St Thomas. It is located 35 miles from Bath, which is in the eastern end of the parish.

Residents who gathered at a focal point in the community to discuss the incident yesterday said that information was floating around via messages that Bryan was spotted in the community and that he was likely to abduct other children as he needs 13 virgins to get off a case. There was also a rumour that another child had been taken in Yallahs.

"Wrong information can cause a lot of people to lose their life. People a send out some things on social media that's causing a lot of problems. From we hear seh wanted man deh pon the road we can't sleep and we not going in because same way him can come a we house and take we pickney dem," shared one resident.

The group discussed how a 'strange man acting suspiciously' was seen walking in Llandewey. They shared that when he was approached and asked to identify himself, he ran.

"We hear seh the man (Bryan) is a runner man and we can't hear seh man a take away baby and we see strange man and don't ask nothing," said another resident.

Echoing concern for children in her community, the woman declared that members will not sit by and allow them to be hurt.

"A two pickney dem seh the man take away so if we hear seh him up here, then we can't wait pon police. We are so sorry but we can't wait until one of our children get hurt or damage... We can't manage that up here," the woman said.

On the lookout for Bryan

Another resident, who was among the group, revealed that he has been on the lookout for Bryan, despite the distance of Bath to his community.

"A straight we a look out. A matter of fact, every community should be on the lookout right now, even those in Kingston. All of us are fathers or a mother suh we have to be on the lookout. A nearly 30 years mi live a Llandewey now and mi never see that man before, but I'm sorry to hear what happened to him," he said.

Reports from the police are that some time before 8 o'clock Wednesday morning, the man, who residents say is unknown to the area, was spotted in the community. Residents raised an alarm and he was chased. The man ran across the Yallahs River into bushes where he was pursued and attacked. Chambers, who received multiple stab wounds, was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Residents thought that the man was Bryan, the main suspect in the separate abductions of nine-year-old Phylisa Prussia on Thursday, October 14, and 13-year-old Winshae Barrett on Saturday, October 16 in Bath. Both girls were rescued. Residents in the parish have been on edge since the incidents and Bryan remains at large.

Justice of the peace in Llandewey, Lenford Brown, condemned the killing of the man as vicious and unnecessary.

"Them hold him and nobody checked his bag? So many ID cards were on him. This should have never happened. Even if they suspect him and them hold him, check his bag and see who the person is. Don't just go ahead and kill him. This nuh right fi we at all as a community...This nuh look good," he said.