Four men are dead in Retirement, St. James, after a police operation that residents say was nothing short of an execution. The killings happened around 6 a.m. yesterday, and the community is in shock.

Residents told The Gleaner that police officers banged on the door of the house where the men were, then ordered everyone back inside. They say they heard the men pleading for their lives before gunshots rang out.

"When wi hear de knocking and come out, dem start run us back in," one resident said. "Three person go up deh, including de man (Fairclough Sr) wife and de police tell bad wud and run dem weh. After dat, we heard de man dem a bawl out fe dem life and a seh dem nuh have no gun and dem innocent. After that, a just gunshot."

The dead have been identified as 57-year-old Bryan Fairclough Sr, a tractor operator; his 28-year-old son Bryan Fairclough Jr, who worked as a watchman; and 28-year-old Jahmar Ashman. All three were employed at a nearby quarry. The fourth man hasn't been identified.

The resident also claimed that after the initial shooting, Fairclough Sr was taken out of the house alive, moved down the road, then brought back. "Dem tell him fe run and when him run off, dem shoot de man kill him. It was no shootout," she said.

"Dem kill me grandson and him never do nothing."

— Grandmother of Bryan Fairclough Jr

The grandmother of Fairclough Jr was seen sitting on the ground, back against a zinc fence, crying with her hands raised to the sky. She said police had earlier knocked down her door, pushed in her window, and told her to lock herself inside.

Efforts to get an official account from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) were unsuccessful. Officers at the scene ignored questions, and the JCF website had no report on the incident. Later, a police source not authorised to speak said the operation was targeting wanted men and illegal weapons, and that two illegal guns were seized.

A team from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) visited the community yesterday and spoke to residents.

These killings bring to 11 the number of people killed in police confrontations in less than 24 hours between Tuesday and yesterday. According to INDECOM, 143 people have been killed in alleged confrontations with the police since the start of the year.

  • Four men killed in Retirement, St. James, on June 10, 2026
  • Three identified: Bryan Fairclough Sr (57), Bryan Fairclough Jr (28), Jahmar Ashman (28)
  • Residents claim police executed the men; no shootout occurred
  • Police say operation targeted wanted men and illegal weapons; two guns seized
  • 11 people killed in police confrontations in 24 hours across Jamaica
  • 143 killed in alleged police confrontations in 2026 so far
  • INDECOM investigating