Officer in Latoya Bulgin shooting granted $1 million bail as PNP presses government

Constable Conor Andrew Wilson, who faces a murder charge over the May 17 shooting death of 45-year-old Latoya Buju Bulgin in Granville, St. James, was granted bail of $1 million on Tuesday during his second appearance before the St. James Parish Court.

Presiding Parish Judge Natisha Fairclough-Hilton set the bail with up to three sureties. Wilson is represented by attorneys Peter Champeny and Michael Hemmonds. The court heard that prosecutors now hold a statement from the owner of a CCTV system said to have recorded events linked to Bulgin's death.

Bail was granted on conditions that Wilson live at a specified address and report to a designated police station, details withheld for his safety. He must surrender his travel documents, and a stop order was issued for all ports of entry. Several prosecution documents remain outstanding, including the ballistic certificate, post-mortem report and forensic certificate. The case returns on July 10. Wilson was arrested and charged on June 3, after the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled on May 29 that he should face charges. Footage that circulated online after the incident shows an officer firing at a vehicle Bulgin was driving. Residents protested after her body was placed into a police van, renewing calls for body-worn cameras in high-risk police operations.

Separately, Opposition Spokesman on Land Lutheran Cousins rejected Prime Minister Andrew Holness's recent comment that squatter settlements are harming Jamaica. Holness made the remark last Friday at a groundbreaking for the Wick Hall estate housing development in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. Cousins, MP for Clarendon South Western, told supporters at the People's National Party's Milk River Divisional Conference on Sunday that hardship tied to land access dates to emancipation-era laws and that many settlements arose because ordinary Jamaicans were denied fair opportunities to own land.

"So for the prime minister of the country to say squatter settlements are hurting Jamaica when the same squatter settlements are where they go and to campaign and to beg the people to vote is hypocrisy," he said. Cousins argued the cost of living, corruption, uneven resource distribution and weak rural investment pose greater national challenges. He also criticised political interference in the National Works Agency and called for more balanced infrastructure spending, including a direct route from Kellitsville through Milk River and Alley towards St. Elizabeth.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding urged the government to explain reported talks with the United States on an arrangement that could see foreign nationals who fall foul of American law temporarily held in Jamaica before transfer to their countries of birth. Speaking on the sidelines of the 11th biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Golding said the matter surfaced through a media leak rather than official disclosure. Reports on Tuesday indicated both countries may discuss hosting up to 25 third-country nationals in Jamaica every fortnight, though the duration of any deal remains unclear. The government has not publicly responded to the leaked document.

"What are the benefits to Jamaica? We don't know. Nothing has been made clear and it's going to be a major issue," Golding said. He stopped short of taking a firm position, saying Jamaicans need fuller information before judging the plan.