Stephen Francis Dies at 64 as Jamaica Mourns MVP Athletics Pioneer

Stephen Francis, a central figure behind Jamaica's international track and field rise in recent decades, has died at the age of 64.

MVP Track Club president Bruce James confirmed Francis's passing on Saturday, July 4. James said Francis changed the course of Jamaican athletics by demonstrating that athletes coached, managed, and trained locally could reach the highest level in world sport.

Over roughly two and a half decades, Francis played a major role in the careers of Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson, and Melaine Walker, along with world champions Shericka Jackson, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, and former 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell. He also coached Tajay Gayle to become Jamaica's first long jump world championship gold medallist.

Francis, who turned 64 on July 3, had been admitted to hospital in recent weeks for medical treatment. He stepped down as MVP head coach in 2017 but remained the club's technical director at the time of his death.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is probing another fatal police shooting. Kear Smith of West Road, Patropy, Linstead, Spanish Town, was shot dead during a confrontation between police and a group of armed men along Solitary Road in Cotburn Gardens, Kingston 11. A semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing several rounds was reportedly seized.

According to reports, around 4:30 a.m., a police team entered the area to shut down an illegal party. Officers cordoned off the venue to prevent attendees from leaving without being checked. Several men were then seen jumping over a perimeter wall, while three others stood on a roof in a yard. Police said one of the men pulled a gun and opened fire at them; officers returned fire. The men jumped from the roof and ran onto premises along Civite Drive. After the confrontation, a blood trail was found leading to the York Avenue community, where Smith's body was later discovered at 17 York Avenue. Investigators said Smith was a known member of gangs based in the Waterloo and Loris areas of Spanish Town, St. Catherine.

A St. Catherine woman who tried to bribe a police officer with $15,000 to stop her son's prosecution was fined $300,000 or 30 days' imprisonment in parish court on Friday. Kaden Anton, 45, of Spanish Town, pleaded guilty to attempted bribery with an explanation, claiming she had been set up by the officer. "It is he who sent me for the money. That's a setup," she said. Her attorney, Anthony Winter, asked the court for leniency, saying Anton acted under stress from not seeing her son for more than a year. The court declined to record a conviction or take her fingerprints. On June 14, Anton was in a motor car driven by her son when police stopped them for a traffic violation. She reportedly told officers she could not give $15,000 immediately before attempting to hand over the money and was arrested.

Police in St. Catherine have launched an investigation after an abandoned vehicle was found in bushes in the Dover district. About 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, officers assigned to the Guville Police Station were on patrol when they diverted onto an off-road track and found a 2017 Nissan AD wagon, registration plate PL7705. A closer inspection showed the centre console had been dismantled. Checks revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen to Mandeville police and taken from Cheveley district, Mandeville, Manchester, hours earlier. The scene was processed and the vehicle removed for safekeeping.