Cop among suspects arrested for murder of soldier in Linstead

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has disclosed that the men suspected of murdering a soldier from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) at Bambury in Linstead, St Catherine, have been arrested.

The 30-year-old military man, David ‘Speedy’ Howard, was shot dead in a confrontation with three gunmen during a robbery shortly before 9pm on July 10. He was off duty at the time, and had stopped at the location in Linstead to speak with friends.

Prime Minister Holness announced the arrests during a presentation in the House of Representatives a short while ago – a day after the Corporate Communications Unit of the police force told Jamaica Beacon that no one was in custody for the crime.

Report to our news team from as early as Monday was that persons have been nabbed in relation to the murder.

Our highly placed sources also said those in custody includes a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) who is either on suspension or interdiction. He is from St Catherine, and is NOT the police officer featured elsewhere on this news site today.

David ‘Speedy’ Howard was murdered in Linstead. Photo provided

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Holness, in parliament, lauded the soldiers and police officers who captured the suspected murderers.

“The men who killed the JDF soldier, no stone was left unturned, and we found them and they are now in police custody to face the courts…” he said.

“Even in the apprehension of the criminals who killed that soldier, our police force and our military acted with dignity. They didn’t bring themselves down to the level of the criminals. They conducted their investigations and did their apprehensions in exemplification of the law. That’s a powerful point,” the prime minister further told the parliament.

He stated that, based on information provided to him, the soldier managed to wrestle a gun from one of the criminals before he was fatally shot.

“Gunmen accosted him. He wrestled with them, managed to take away one of their firearms, but he was unfortunately shot and killed,” added Prime Minister Holness. At the time he commented on the murder of the soldier, he was making his case to have the Zone of Special Operation in St James further extended.

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