Jamaica police deny responsibility in killing of four-year-old boy

Jamaica: The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has denied responsibility for the killing of four-year-old Romaine Bowman, who died on New Year’s Day during a shootout between police and alleged gunmen.

The JCF stated that it is not treating the shooting of the 4-year-old boy in Granville, St. James as a police shooting , denying that they fired the fatal shot that killed the 4-year-old boy.

Jamaica Constabulary Force is reportedly not investigating the New Year shooting of the little boy in the back as a  police killing. As Commanding Officer for the St. James police division, SSP Eron Samuels said on Thursday that the police attempted to shield Romaine from gunfire on the fateful day.

The shooting of little Romaine took place on New Years day shortly after midnight after the police authorities responded to reports of illegal gun salutes in the community.

Following their arrival on the scene an alleged shootout reportedly transpired between them and the 2 gunmen. But tragically 4-year-old Romaine was caught in the crossfire after he was shot in the back and the 2 gunmen were shot and killed on the scene.

The police retrieved an AK-47 rifle from the scene. But the shooting and killing of the 4-year-old boy garnered mass attention triggering a protest in Granville with residents blaming the offices for the shooting of Romaine.

Still unknown where the shot that killed the 4-year-old came from, mass newspaper listed the death of Romaine in the statistics of police shootings since 2026 began.

The JCF has denied the report from the Gleaner that claimed that the 4-year-old boy was killed by the police, listing the killing as part of the 14 citizens killed by the police since the start of the year.

The JCF has called the report false as it is unsupported by facts, as no investigation has revealed that the shot that killed the child came from a police officer's weapon.

Jamaica Constabulary Force has further requested that journalists report from the highest standards of accuracy, balance, and verification especially in matters involving ongoing investigations, deaths and minors.

The JCF has urged all the journalists to follow accuracy, balance and verification. WIC News will continue to monitor the situation and provide timely updates.