Licensed firearm holder ‘saved four lives’ in Portmore money heist

Central to the discourse on the airwaves and the virtual land space of social media, is the fact that this is the second such attack in weeks in the same locale against the same security company.

In the first attack late last month, one security guard was killed as criminals made off with approximately $10 million. This time around gunmen confiscated a reported $23 million but thankfully no life was lost as the driver and three crew members came under heavy gunfire from gunmen with high-powered weapons.

But it was the intervention of a licensed firearm holder who came to the aid of the guards, whose action made a telling difference, contended SSP Christopher Phillips, commander in charge of the St Catherine South Police Division.

“I can’t help but recognize the bravery of the licensed firearm holder,” SSP Phillips wrote in a post shared on WhatsApp about the shootout that lasted several minutes and had people in the parking lot scampering for cover.

“He was not able to save the material things but he saved four lives,” he added. “He was not expected, so his intervention created the panic. It made a difference in the outcome, unlike the previous encounter where at least eight guns were in that 20 metre radius and not one person intervened.”

The senior crime fighter noted further that the courageous action of the civilian in such a dangerous situation epitomizes the mantra of the constabulary that being ‘a force for good’ “goes beyond the JCF”.

“It is a large and mighty army of ordinary people who trust and believe in God,” he said. “We must not cower in fear, instead, join the force for good.”

He then stated Edmund Burke’s popular quote that says: “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing” before adding that the licensed firearm holder’s “bravery must be commended”.

About 12:40 pm, the security guards were in the process to service the ATMs on location when they were attacked by gunmen who escaped in two vehicles that were later found abandoned in the nearby community of Lakes Pen.

Since then Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Cleon Marsh said investigators have been utilizing all resources available at their disposal and believes a breakthrough is imminent.