St. James constable charged with murder as FLA audit flags missing ammunition

Police Constable Andrew Wilson has been charged with murder in connection with the May 17 fatal shooting of 45-year-old Latoya Bulgin, otherwise called “Buju”, in Granville, St. James. INDECOM said the charge followed a May 29 ruling by the director of public prosecutions after it submitted its file. Wilson appeared in the St. James Parish Court on Wednesday, was remanded, and was ordered to hand over documents and avoid contacting witnesses. He is due back in court on June 16.

INDECOM said early review of video evidence helped investigators assess the shooting. The commission noted that CCTV, body-worn camera footage, mobile-phone recordings and other video sources can assist with timelines, witness accounts and evidential leads. Wilson had already been taken off frontline duties after police high command reviewed footage of the incident, which happened while officers responded to a protest. Police previously said Bulgin was shot after an officer standing before her vehicle fired into it when she allegedly tried to drive away after being told it would be seized. The killing triggered public anger in Granville.

In St. Andrew, 24-year-old truck driver Carl Brown of Park Road, Lawrence Tavern, was shot dead at home about 11:40 p.m. while repairing a motorcycle. He was taken to Kingston Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Constant Spring CIB is investigating.

In St. Catherine, seven-year-old Aiden Watson of Fairfield Close, Fairview Park, Spanish Town, died from injuries suffered in a May 28 collision involving an orange Yamaha motorcycle driven by an 18-year-old from Lona Heights. The Spanish Town traffic department is probing the crash.

Trelawny fishers are also mourning 55-year-old Dennis Clark of Falmouth, who is feared dead after disappearing while fishing offshore. Fritz Christie of the Trelawny Fishers Association said Clark’s fish gun was found after a search and urged fishers to use shark bands for safety.

In Manchester, decommissioned justice of the peace Marvin Dean and current JP Dudley Powell were granted $600,000 and $400,000 bail, respectively, on forgery-related charges linked to alleged driver’s licence application irregularities. They return to court on July 1.

The Integrity Commission, meanwhile, reported accountability weaknesses at the Firearm Licensing Authority, including 191 rounds of .22 ammunition unaccounted for, poor records, vault concerns and manipulated licensing data. It recommended stronger controls, better storage, data backups and an independent audit of FLA vaults.