She walked in this morning and greeted me as she always did when she comes in to transact business. I realized something was wrong as soon as I looked up to return her greeting. She told me her cousin was shot and killed in Jamaica last night. Killing is normal now more-so in some places than others. In Jamaica it’s more-so.
My heart went out to her, she was very much there for me and my family in April when we lost our beloved son Kodi.
I felt a sense of empathy for her loss. I do so now even more than I did before. Death of a loved one does that to you.
Then she tells me her cousin was a police officer and my heart dropped. Not because police officers lives are worth more than that of anyone else, but because they stand between those who would do us harm and ourselves.
Jamaican Police say Constable Preddie who was off duty and unarmed was relaxing with friends at a bar in the remote community of Farm in the Asia police division of southern Manchester when several men armed with guns entered the premises. The criminals proceeded to rob patrons and in the process of going through their pockets discovered Preddie’s police identification. One of the gunmen promptly shot him in the head. He reportedly died on the spot. Preddie was married with two children aged eight years and 18 months.
The death of this officer sends a chilling message to law abiding citizens, “we will kill anything and anyone who stand in our way”. The fact that constable Preddie was unarmed is somewhat troubling. Why would a police officer not have a service weapon in this day and age is beyond me?
Did Preddie have access to a weapon but naïvely allowed himself to be lulled into a false sense of security?
Did the department take their weapon after they finished using him during his tour of duty?
Those are pertinent questions which begs swift answers.
Jamaican authorities and civil society, places extraordinary stock on the lives of criminals and convicted felons, not on the lives and interest of police officers. My heart goes out to his family ‚to my friend Trish and more than anyone else, his wife and two little kids.
May God give you comfort and peace.
To the scum who took his life, may you rest easy in the knowledge you do not have someone like me on your trail for this killing .
Demonizing police officers gives power to garbage like these scum, that is the Jamaican way.
I ask that all officers take this death personally, go get these pieces of garbage.Whether you bring them to justice or you bring justice to them is all the same to me.