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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.
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