KINGSTON, Jamaica, Monday April 18, 2011 – A police officer and her son are among the victims of the country’s latest murder-suicide – committed by a former lawman – less than two weeks after a police corporal carried out a similar crime.
Retired police sergeant Osbourne Whitton, 58, killed Corporal Bevon Hutchinson-Anderson, who celebrated her 43rd birthday yesterday; her 12-year-old son Keinon Shaw and the boy’s father, Rohan Shaw, 45, late last night, before turning the gun on himself.
According to reports, Hutchinson-Anderson and Whitton had been previously been in a relationship.
Police say Whitton got into the policewoman's home in Manchester, using a spare key.
He shot her and Shaw after a confrontation and then went into a bedroom and killed the boy.
The ex cop then went to a neighbour's house and confessed to the murders before committing suicide.
Following the incident, Police Commissioner Owen Ellington urged former police officers to seek counseling if they are troubled.
"Members and former members should not be afraid to receive counseling or therapeutic assistance. Our Medical and Chaplaincy Units are staffed by well trained professionals who will maintain confidentiality and who will give guidance to help personnel with problems," he said, adding that the Jamaica Constabulary Force operates a hotline which members can access.
The top cop also appealed to those in the Force to assist colleagues with personal problems by informing supervisors so that action can be taken. He further called on supervisors to pay close attention to the welfare of those whom they lead.
The latest murder-suicide comes a week and a half after Corporal Wayne Llewellyn shot his estranged wife, his stepdaughter, mother-in-law, father-in-law and brother-in-law before committing suicide. His wife, who was shot in the neck, was the only one who survived the April 7 shooting and remains in hospital.
Following that incident, Commissioner Ellington had instructed that officers who show signs of emotional instability would be disarmed of their service and personal firearms.
Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/351476.html#ixzz1Ju2qZOku
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