Rockfort man acquitted in 2022 police shooting case

Jamaica Gleaner | 2025-12-03 | Original Article

A Rockfort resident accused of taking part in a deadly late-night attack on police personnel in east Kingston in 2022, which left one man dead, was freed of all charges last Thursday after no evidence was presented linking him to the shooting incident.

 

Justice Cayls Wiltshire upheld a no-case submission brought by defence attorney Paul Gentles, resulting in Atkinson being discharged of illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, and three counts of shooting with intent.

 

The allegations stemmed from a shoot-out on October 4, 2022, that left one man dead and two others on the run.

 

According to testimony from a police sergeant who was on duty that night, the incident began at approximately 12:08 a.m. while he was driving a service vehicle along Outlook Avenue with two constables.

 

The sergeant said he heard multiple explosions he believed were gunshots. He drove toward Windward Road, where the explosions continued and appeared to be coming from the direction of Homestead Road.

 

As the lawmen approached the area, they reported seeing four men on two motorcycles speeding off Homestead Road and onto Windward Road. The police signalled the men to stop, using a flashlight and the vehicle’s horn.

 

The sergeant said that instead of stopping, the pillion rider on one of the motorcycles, later identified as Jerome ‘Krome’ Todd, of a Tiverton Road address, opened gunfire in the direction of the police vehicle near Sea Breeze Avenue.

 

The sergeant stated that he saw “flashes of light” and heard loud explosions from the direction of the men, causing him to fear for his life and the lives of his colleagues. He returned fire with the M16 rifle he had been issued.

 

The police pursued the motorcycles toward East Bourne Road. One of the bikes turned onto a dirt track while the other slowed down on the main road. Todd reportedly jumped from the second motorcycle and ran into the track.

 

The sergeant said that upon stopping at the entrance of the track, he again heard explosions and saw flashes of light coming from inside. The police returned fire.

 

The two constables detained Atkinson, who remained on the road and was searched and found with nothing in his possession.

 

The sergeant reported that he sent the constables into the track to investigate further as more explosions were heard from inside the area known as “the gully”. Moments later, the constables ran back and reported that the pillion rider, Todd, who had fled, had been shot and that a black-handled 9mm pistol was seen lying in front of him.

 

Todd was later placed in a service vehicle and transported to Kingston Public Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

 

The 9mm pistol that was recovered contained three 9mm cartridges.

 

The two men on the other motorcycle reportedly escaped along the dirt track leading to the gully.

 

During the no-case submission, Gentles argued that the Crown’s case was irreparably weakened by forensic evidence that did not support the police narrative.

 

“Atkinson at no time at all would have been in a position to aid and abet any alleged shooting by the deceased, Todd, if it is believed that Todd was a shooter. It is also the defence’s submission that the forensic reports in the matter did not support the Crown’s scheme,” he told The Gleaner following the ruling.

 

Gentles pointed out that although the officer indicated that there was blood in and around where the deceased fell and died, no blood was found on the firearm that was recovered.

 

“And most importantly, the forensic biology report showed that the deceased Jerome Todd’s DNA could not be conclusively identified as being on any aspect of the weapon,” he noted.

 

Gentles also said that while the Crown alleged that Todd fired the recovered pistol “three to five times”, the forensic biology and chemistry reports contradicted that claim.

 

The forensic report concluded that the DNA profile obtained from a swab taken from the ground at the scene matched the blood of the deceased. However, it found that the partial DNA profile recovered from a swab taken from the magazine of the recovered pistol belonged to an unidentified male, and neither Todd nor Atkinson could be linked as the source.

 

Further analysis revealed that no DNA profiles were obtained from swabs taken from the pistol’s frame, slide, trigger, trigger guard, or from the three cartridges recovered.

 

After reviewing the evidence, Wiltshire ruled that the prosecution had not established a case capable of going before a jury, resulting in Atkinson being formally freed of the charges.

 

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com

 

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