Veteran deejay’s son shot dead by soldiers

Joel Douglas , who would have celebrated his 22nd birthday today, wanted to become a soldier, but ironically, he was killed just minutes into 2023 along Balcombe Drive in St Andrew by members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

According to a report from the police’s Corporate Communications Unit, Douglas was shot and killed by soldiers after he fired shots into the air in a gun salute on Balcombe Drive, which is in Olympic Gardens, about 12:27 a.m. on January 1. A Sig Sauer handgun with 10 9mm rounds and two 12-gauge cartridges were also seized during the incident. The Independent Commission of Investigations is probing the incident.

Douglas was the son of dancehall veteran Angel Doolas. Speaking with THE STAR yesterday, he said his son was no gunman.

“People on the outside are going to follow the report and believe what was said, that he was a gunman and he had guns. I see people telling JDF thanks, and it’s painful when I read those comments because it’s not good to be judgemental. Remain neutral, if anything,” Angel Doolas said. “He was never charged or arrested, and his name was never called up in any wrongdoings. He was not a gang member or follower, and his name was never in the books.” The deejay also expressed doubt about the official account of the incident.

“My son was in shorts and had money in his hands, so where would he have two guns? High-powered guns too. I am not buying that story,” he said.

Angel Doolas, who currently lives in the US, said when he saw his daughter calling him after midnight on New Year’s Day, he initially thought she was sending him good cheer. He also shared a haunting nightmare that he had just a day before.

“When mi daughter call mi and say, ‘Daddy, Noel dead’, mi did have to literally pinch myself to see if it was a dream because, believe it or not, just hours before my son was killed I had a dream that I was shot by gunmen. The dream felt so real, it felt like death,” he said.

Angel Doolas expressed alarm at the 2021 murder toll, which nearly reached 1,500. He pleaded with the nation to live in unity.

“Mi a implore the youths dem in the garrison to not be drawn into the culture of gun-toting. Leave gun alone, man. It sickening now. Why our murder statistics must high suh ever year and we barely have three million people?” he asked.