Fatal Police Shooting Sparks Outrage in Annotto Bay. Residents of the Iterboreale community in Annotto Bay, St. Mary, contested the police’s account of a deadly incident. It involved a police officer who fatally shot a man during a candlelight vigil. The incident unfolded on Friday night, February 21, 2025.
Residents insist that Kevin Cunningham, o/c ‘Chemical’, 28, of Crab Hill district in Annotto Bay, was shot in cold blood. This contradicts the police statement.
The St Mary police denied allegations of shooting Cunningham in cold blood. They claimed they allegedly recovered an illegal firearm from him.
According to the police report, at about 9:20 p.m., the St Mary Operational Support Team (OST) went to the Iterboreale community to shut down an unauthorized candlelight vigil.
Upon arrival at the event, attendees became unruly and boisterous, refusing to follow the lawful order to disperse.
During the back and forth with the police, Cunningham allegedly brandished a firearm. He pointed it at one of the officers.
Fatal Police Shooting. In response, a police officer discharged his service weapon, fatally wounding Cunningham.
The officers rushed the injured man to the Annotto Bay Hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead.
Law enforcement allegedly removed one illegal firearm from the victim of a fatal police shooting.
According to the police, they recovered a Beretta .40 caliber pistol with a partially erased serial number, and a magazine containing five live rounds was taken from Cunningham.
Two police officers received injuries during the incident.
Meanwhile, residents insisted that a policeman got involved in a tussle at the event while attempting to arrest a man.
They said the officer later approached Cunningham and accused him of being the man who had assaulted the officer.
Persons claimed that despite Cunningham denying that he hadn’t assaulted the officer, the police officer shot him twice.
The residents are adamant that the police did not remove a firearm from the deceased.
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is probing the shooting.
People on social media are upset with the police’s reports, especially those who knew the now-deceased man.
“INDECOM needs to investigate this properly! Chemical (Kevin Cunningham) never deserved what happened to him, no way,” a woman wrote.
“The police version is not correct; no gun was recovered! ‘Chemical’ name needs to clear, INDECOM please,” another added.
Residents of Iterboreale briefly mounted a roadblock on Saturday to protest the fatal police shooting. But the police responded quickly and cleared the street.
Since then, law enforcement authorities have imposed a 48-hour curfew in sections of the community. It commenced at 6 p.m. on Saturday and expires at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 24, 2025.
One thought on “Fatal Police Shooting Sparks Outrage in Annotto Bay”