DUMFRIES, St James - RESIDENTS of Dumfries and adjoining communities in St James blocked several roads in the area yesterday, in protest against the police killing of an ex-convict in the Canaan Heights community.

Their demonstration over the death of the man who has been identified as 32-year-old labourer Oniel Wallace, otherwise called 'Germs', forced the suspension of classes at Dumfries All-Age School.

The police reported that a .38 revolver, loaded with five rounds of ammunition and with the serial number erased, was taken from the dead man.

According to police reports at about 5:30 am yesterday, members of a police team went to a house in Canaan Heights where they were shot at by Wallace. A shoot-out ensued and Wallace was shot and killed, the police said.

But Amoy Thomas, girlfriend of the deceased, gave a conflicting account of the incident.

She said she and her boyfriend were both in bed at about 5:00 am yesterday when a loud banging was heard on the door.

Thomas recounted that initially she did not respond because she was undressed, but after the persons who she said identified themselves as police started to "kick down the door", she opened it.

A grieving Thomas said she was instantly dragged outside and pushed against the wall of the house by a member of the police party who held her at gun point.

She said she took "a quick glance" in the house and saw her boyfriend sitting on the bed.

According to Thomas, one of the cops forced Wallace to stand up and dragged him outside the house and ordered her to leave the location.

The teary-eyed Thomas said shortly afterwards, she heard a gunshot ring out and her boyfriend shouting for his three aunts, who live in separate dwellings in the same yard.

"One of the police took him [Wallace] and put him to stand up and pushed him outside and shouted at me to go back down there so [away from the house]. Then mi hear another shot. After mi hear the shot, mi hear him [Wallace] bawl out and seh 'Tash [one of his aunts] they going kill mi, mi dead now, them going kill mi...'" said a distraught Thomas. "Then mi hear three more shots and mi don't hear nothing else... Mi run off go into another house in the yard."

A large contingent of police who were yesterday deployed to the community were kept busy for most of the day clearing roadblocks mounted by irate residents along several sections of the Dumfries roadway. As soon as the police cleared the roadblocks, they were remounted by the residents who threatened to continue blocking the road until "wi get justice".

"I have always heard people demonstrating over police shootings, but we now see it for ourselves that when them say is shoot-out is not always true. As soon as the police leave, we a go block up the road again," said a female demonstrator.

Meanwhile, Cecil Davis, the councillor [JLP] for the Somerton Division who arrived on the scene during the protest, appealed for a speedy investigation into the incident.

"I was really surprised this morning when I heard that the young man was killed by the police. I don't know what the circumstances are, but we are very much in sympathy with the family and the neighbourhood. This is usually a very quiet neighbourhood," he noted.

The Bureau of Special Investigation and the Independent Commission of Investigations have commenced their probe into the incident.

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