Alleged gang member killed in St. Elizabeth police operation; Jamaican flight attendant held by ICE

Ryan Osborne, also known as Bug Head, was fatally shot during a targeted police operation Friday morning in Knoxwood near Burnt Savannah, St. Elizabeth. Officers sought him from about 5:15 a.m.; police say he confronted them with a firearm and was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A .38 revolver was recovered. Police described him as a member of a joint criminal network and said he was wanted in the parish.

In a separate double fatality, 67-year-old Jocelyn Wellington died Thursday after allegedly ingesting poison. He had been accused of fatally chopping his wife, 62-year-old Marcella Wellington, during a Wednesday argument over divorce matters. She was found on a staircase with multiple chop wounds and pronounced dead at hospital. He was admitted under police guard and died while being treated.

Hanover police released a composite sketch of a man wanted after a late-night robbery and assault on Main Street in Lucea on Monday, May 4. About 11:00 p.m., the suspect and other men allegedly held a victim at gunpoint and took cash and a cell phone. Sought charges include assault at common law, robbery with aggravation, and Firearms Act breaches. Tips may go to Lucea CIB at 876-956-2304, Crime Stop 311, emergency 119, or any station.

The body of a 27-year-old man missing since July 21 was found about 7:00 a.m. Thursday on Robin’s Bay Beach near Green Castle, St. Mary, by a fisherman. Residents said he once lived locally before moving to Kingston and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. A post-mortem was pending; St. Mary police sought help confirming his identity.

Jamaican Southwest Airlines flight attendant Lorenzo Thompson was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 14. Fox News reported he entered the United States on April 17, 2021, on a visa that expired October 16, 2021, and had overstayed while pursuing citizenship. A GoFundMe seeking legal fees said he had a pending asylum case, a valid work visa, no criminal record, and was held after returning from a work trip.

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness, speaking Wednesday at a Kingston Harbour Walk segment-two contract signing, said lower crime is improving Jamaica’s standing as a safe nearshore destination for events and conferences. He said the murder rate, once about 50 per 100,000, would be about 25 per 100,000 on 2025 figures.

Superintendent Andrew Nash, briefing Commissioner Dr. Kevin Blake on Hanover, said violence there is often conflict-driven or interpersonal, with continued focus on Green Island. As of July 22, the division recorded 10 murders versus nine at the same point last year, while still expecting a year-end decline. Separately, Payne urged small landowners to seek National Housing Development support for five to 25 low-income or affordable units, not luxury projects, including in places such as Vineyard Town.