Violence erupts after police in Jamaica kill a top gang leader they had sought for years
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This article was published 23/01/2025 (298 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Police in Jamaica killed a top gang leader whose death unleashed a violent backlash near the capital of Kingston on Thursday, prompting authorities to raise the threat level to police officers to extreme.
The shooting occurred after the government ordered a crackdown on gangs following recent mass shootings on the island nation where gang violence has erupted in recent months.
Gunfire echoed throughout Spanish Town, just 13 miles (21 kilometers) from Kingston, and at least one business was torched, just hours after police killed Othneil “Thickman” Lobban late on Wednesday. Police described him as a top leader of the One Order gang.
A curfew was imposed with immediate effect, restricting people from leaving their homes until late Friday.
“We urge citizens to remain calm and to cooperate with the security forces as they work to maintain peace and stability in the area,” Jamaica’s Constabulary Force said in a statement.
Police and soldiers patrolled the streets of Spanish Town, which remained largely empty as schools, businesses and government agencies closed as a precaution ahead of the curfew. Bus and taxi drivers were urged to avoid the area after Wednesday’s shooting.
Police said they as officers were pursuing Lobban, residents in one community organized a protest, blocked roads and damaged several official vehicles.
Jamaica has one of the world’s highest homicide rates, and many worry Lobban’s killing will lead to more violence. The country also has one of the highest rates of killings by police officers in the Americas, according to Amnesty International, which has criticized the fatal shootings as “extrajudicial executions.”
The One Order gang is based in Spanish Town and has been operating for more than two decades, according to a report from the U.N. Refugee Agency. Local media have reported that it is accused of extortion, killings and drug dealing, and that its fierce rivalry with the Klansman gang has claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
The One Order gang has long been considered an ally of the Jamaica Labor Party, and it is believed to be one of the more powerful gangs on an island where some 250 gangs operate.
Much of the violence in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean is blamed on guns illegally smuggled in from the United States.