Cop saved by bullet-proof vest

A policeman escaped serious injury after a bullet reportedly struck his protective vest during an armed confrontation with a gunman in the Farm community of Effortville, Clarendon, on Friday.

The cop, who was part of an operational team from the Area 3 Anti-Fugitive Apprehension Team, was struck in the chest during the incident. He was taken to hospital for treatment and remains in stable condition. 

The Corporate Communication Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force said the confrontation resulted in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old O’Neil Hamilton, otherwise called ‘Jay’ or ‘Puttae’, a labourer of Oliver Gardens, May Pen, Clarendon. 

The police sad a firearm was recovered during the operation. 

Preliminary reports indicate that members of the police team were conducting an operation in the Farm, Effortville, area when they came under gunfire. The police returned fire and, following the confrontation, Hamilton was found suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken for medical treatment where he was pronounced dead.

 Investigators have linked Hamilton to a number of criminal activities across Area Three, including a robbery committed earlier that Friday at a bar along Sewell Crescent in May Pen. During that incident, Hamilton and another man allegedly discharged firearms while fleeing the scene.