St Thomas tense after cop freed in death of pregnant woman

TENSION AND disunity were evident at Yallahs Square in St Thomas after news of a notguilty verdict against police Corporal Dwayne Smart, who was charged with the 2012 murder of a pregnant woman, spread like wildfire yesterday.

Smart was freed of all charges in connection with the killing of 27-year-old Kayann Lamont, who was eight months pregnant at the time. Lamont was shot twice during an alleged altercation with Smart after she was accosted for using expletives.

Smart was also found not guilty of wounding with intent with regards to the injury of Lamont’s sister who was also shot on the scene. The incident had sparked days of protest by angry residents.

One man, claiming to be a relative of Lamont was “crippled” by the ruling.

“Bwoy, I wasn’t expecting to hear this at all. Mi cousin just gone suh? And no justice? She was the innocent one! She and her baby, a dem innocent. Justice couldn’t have been served when a pregnant, unarmed woman, was shot and killed and her sister shot, all for cussing a bad word!

“She did just come from town and a tell people seh dem rob her. That’s how we Jamaicans express we self. Bwoy, I don’t know,” he sighed.

Another resident weighed in on the matter, demonstrating his displeasure with the verdict.

“Plain [foolishness]! There is nothing more that we can do! How it aguh look on Jamaica when people hear news like this and then hear that the person responsible got away? What is wrong with our justice system? I just lost the little faith I had in it. Nothing nuh name justice again,” he said as he walked away spewing swear words.