Double Tragedy | Mentally ill Man Slain After Killing Cop In Linstead

Double Tragedy | Mentally ill Man Slain After Killing Cop In Linstead

September 24, 2021 0 By Jamaica Beacon

The mentally challenged Alwayne Shakespeare (left) and Detective Constable Paul Gordon (right)

A mentally challenged man whom the authorities did not stop despite his long record of violent attacks in the town of Linstead, St. Catherine, was slain this morning after he used a stone to kill a police officer.

He is 25-year-old Alwayne Shakespeare, better known as ‘Al’ and ‘Cruff’.

The slain cop, who was wearing plain clothes at the time of the attack, is Detective Constable Paul Gordon, who was attached to the Scenes of Crime Unit at Linstead Police Station.

The tragic episode started shortly before 7 o’clock this morning while Detective Constable Gordon was walking on the sidewalk outside Sinclair’s Bargain Centre – not far from Linstead Police Station.

Reports are that the mentally ill man flung a stone, hitting the cop on the head. The officer fell face-down on the sidewalk, bleeding.

Residents in the area rushed to his assistance.

The mentally challenged man fled the area.

Moments later, he was killed by police.

One of his weeping relatives stated that, based on information received, some of the slain cop’s colleagues walked up to Shakespeare, and shot him indiscriminately inside Linstead Market. The police, however, said Shakespeare attacked them with a machete.

Amateur videos show a civilian, accompanied by police, pushing the wounded Shakespeare on a handcart through Linstead Market and later through King Street.

On King Street, a cop lifted Shakespeare from the handcart and flung him onto the back of a police jeep. A number of civilians were heard celebrating Shakespeare’s demise.

The tragedy happened just over a month after Shakespeare’s mother, Idolyn Roman, publicly appealed for the authorities to assist her in removing her ill son from the streets. She lamented his violent nature.

Shakespeare had a long history of violently attacking people in Linstead town.

On different occasions, he had been arrested or hospitalized after being injured during retaliations.

His relatives said they were tired of appealing for the police and health authorities to help.

They stated that, at one point, they were being charged $40,000 to get Shakespeare into a facility – a cost they could not afford.

In an interview with The Beacon just over a month ago, Shakespeare’s mother publicly lamented: “Him can attack somebody and kill them, and people can kill him too. That is what I am running from.” To read her full appeal, CLICK HERE.


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