Witness Account Emerges After Police Shooting Kills Latoya Bullard in Granville, St. James

Latoya Bullard, known in Granville, St. James as Bougie, was shot and killed by police inside her motor vehicle on Sunday evening, and outrage has grown since CCTV footage of the incident circulated.

A passenger who was in the vehicle at the time, whose identity has been withheld for her protection, told TVJ News that the group was about to travel to another part of the community to protest the recent police killing of a 17-year-old boy when officers in a police jeep approached. She said officers parked and turned their vehicle across the road as Bullard drove up, forcing her to stop.

According to the witness, an officer demanded a driver's licence. Bullard produced a foreign licence. The officer insisted on a Jamaican licence. Bullard replied that she did not have the money to obtain one and had to care for her children first, though she acknowledged she could not continue using the foreign document. She later left the vehicle and asked the officer to issue a ticket instead. The witness said the officer was firm that the vehicle would be seized and instructed Bullard to exit and secure the car. She said Bullard could not lock or park the vehicle as the officer directed, but maintained that Bullard would not have driven away and that those present knew where she lived.

The witness said the officer then fired a single shot. Bullard fell back inside the vehicle, drawing screams from the six occupants of the Voxy.

Residents who viewed the footage have accused officers of using excessive force. One man told reporters the officer should face a murder charge and should not have opened fire. The witness also criticised how Bullard was handled after she was shot, saying officers moved her between vehicles in a way that left her distressed and onlookers deeply upset. She insisted Bullard had done nothing to deserve the shooting.

Bullard was described as a businesswoman, a mother of two, and a well-known figure in the area. A video on her social media page, shared after her death, reflected how residents remembered her.

The Independent Commission of Investigations is examining the case. Authorities plan to meet with INDECOM and the police to urge witnesses to come forward with statements about what they saw. They have also appealed for calm and discouraged demonstrations, noting that police took swift action by removing the officer involved.