FEAR AND FURY - Tensions boil over in Granville as outraged community demands justice after police killing

WESTERN BUREAU:

Tensions flared in Granville, St James, on Monday as angry residents mounted fiery roadblocks to protest the fatal police shooting of 45-year-old Latoya ‘Buju’ Bulgin under controversial circumstances.

By the time The Gleaner arrived in the community shortly after 10 a.m., firefighters from the St James Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade had already extinguished most of the fires. A heavy police presence remained in the area, led by Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, commander for St James. A team from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), headed by regional director Warren Williams, was also on the scene.

Residents, many of whom spoke with visible fear, anger and disbelief, insisted that Bulgin was killed in cold blood during an encounter with the police on Sunday.

Community members acknowledged that she was known for being “loud and opinionated”, but argued that she was targeted after a heated confrontation with the police following the controversial killing of her 17-year-old cousin, Tjey Edwards, the previous Sunday.

According to a female friend, who was in the vehicle when Bulgin was shot behind the steering wheel, Bulgin had been participating in a protest linked to Edwards’ death when police stopped her black Toyota Voxy.

“The police stopped the vehicle and asked her for [her] driver’s licence, and she presented them with her foreign driver’s licence, but the police said they wanted a Jamaican licence, which she did not have,” the friend said. “They police instructed her to exit the vehicle and in pulling up the handbrake, the vehicle rolled forward a little, and that was when I heard the shot and saw her slumping backwards.

“When me look out, I saw the policeman – [who] she had an argument when her cousin was killed – with his gun still pointing in the vehicle … . Buju didn’t do anything. She was murdered in cold blood,” she added.

Residents expressed outrage over the shooting but remained reluctant to speak publicly or be photographed, claiming they feared retaliation from the police.

“Look what happened to Buju. She was demanding justice for her cousin and they (the police) came back and killed her. She never did anything wrong. She was only lashing out because of what they did, and now she dead,” said one resident.

Distrust of INDECOM was also evident throughout the community, with several residents claiming previous investigations had yielded little accountability.

“We nuh inna nuthin with INDECOM. From January dem investigating the killing of a four-year-old child by the police and all now we can’t hear nothing … . We nah waste time with INDECOM,” said a young woman, who also voiced fears that the matter would not be properly investigated.

Williams, however, urged witnesses to cooperate with the investigators to ensure a fair and impartial probe.

“We are urging the persons who witness the incident to come forward and have us record their statements because while the videos from the incidents are out there, their statement will add context,” said Williams, who recently assumed responsibility for INDECOM’s western Jamaica operations.

Councillor Michael Troupe, who represents Granville in the St James Municipal Corporation, was present when the shooting took place. He said that he intended to provide a statement to INDECOM and encouraged other residents to do the same despite their fears.

“I am not fearful. As long as there are issues, I am going to speak out,” said Troupe, who used the opportunity to call on Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness to retract his “meet a judge or your Maker” statement, which he believes has caused the police to abandon restraint.

In February 2025, Holness had made the statement while warning Jamaicans who return to the island with criminal intentions.

“Let me be clear to you that this is not the Jamaica that you left 10 or 20 years ago. It is not the Jamaica Constabulary Force that you left 10 or 20 years ago. You will either meet a judge or your Maker if you come back to Jamaica and violate our laws and create havoc,” he  warned. 

Although some police officers who visited the community expressed sympathy, residents remained hostile towards law enforcement, blaming them for destroying what they described as a period of peace in the community.

“After many years of war and friction, the community is finally at peace, and just as we start to enjoy the peace, here come the police terrorising us … . We are traumatised and living in fear, as everyone is wondering who will be next,” said a young woman. “Even the little children are traumatised … . This is no way to live. Thank God for our MP (Marlene Malahoo Forte), because she had the courage to speak out after what they did to Buju …  She never deserve it.”

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com