Residents accuse cops of murdering 22-y-o

Placard-bearing residents of Adelaide Street, off Windward Road, Kingston 16, yesterday blasted the police and accused them of murdering 22-year-old Javion Smith.

His mother, Bridgette Russell, and a woman claiming to be his girlfriend both say that Smith was asleep when lawmen came banging on his door. Russell said that her son's voice crying out to her after he received the first shot will forever be etched in her memory.

"Di fuss shot him get inna him foot mi deh right deh so stand up and him bawl out 'Mommy'. Dem push mi weh and give him di second one inna him chest and him stay right deh so pon di ground and groan until him pronounce dead. Mi pickney fi deh a work dis morning eno and dem kill di likkle bwoy fi nutten. A over 40 police and soldier come. Suh tell mi now, which part him coulda have gun fi take up fi shoot after dem?" Russell asked. The alleged girlfriend tearfully told the news team that she tried to wake Smith when she heard police knocking on other doors in the yard. She said that after the lawmen entered the room, she said that she obeyed their order and switched on the light for them to see clearly inside the room.

"Him [Smith] sidung on the bed and him foot hang off and it look like him still nuh fully wake up. Him never have on any clothes and dem surround we and him start look fi one shorts and put on. Everything dem ask, we answer. Dem tell mi to kneel down on the ground but mi still could see and mi see when dem start put on gunshot on him and him scream out and say 'Mommy'," she said.

According to police reports, Smith was fatally shot during an operation. It is reported that he pulled a firearm on the police while they were conducting a search of a room, and in response the police fired at him. He was pronounced dead at the Kingston Public Hospital. A Sig Sauer pistol was reportedly recovered from the scene.

Russell, however, is adamant that her son was no wrongdoer. She said that he was working in construction and would often jerk chicken for sale on weekends.