‘Chicken’ killed in St Andrew police shootout; illegal gun seized

KINGSTON, Jamaica —A man was shot dead during a alleged confrontation with the police at Lincoln Alley in St Andrew on Friday morning. The dead man has been identified as Jermaine Vassell, otherwise called ‘Chicken’, from the community. An illegal firearm was seized during the incident. Reports are that around 1:35 am, police personnel armed with a search warrant went to the location to execute it. On arrival at the premises, the police knocked on the door and identified themselves, but there was no answer. The team continued knocking, but there was still no response. They then forced the door open, and Vassell, who was seen standing in a corner of the room beside a refrigerator, reportedly opened fire at them. The police returned fire, hitting Vassell in the upper body and both legs. He fell to the floor, and the firearm fell beside him. It was retrieved and found to be a Smith & Wesson pistol with two 9mm rounds. Vassell was transported to the Kingston Public Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. Police intelligence indicated that Vassell was a member of the Bird Nation Gang and was previously charged with assault and rape in 2011.