Tensions have risen in Spanish Town, Jamaica, in the wake of the shooting of Othneil “Thickman” Lobban. The powerful leader of the One Order gang was killed in a police shooting Thursday, and gunfire around the city led to schools, businesses, and government offices shutting down for the day and taxis and buses suspending their services. After police say Lobban’s death is a big blow to the gang-one of the most feared criminal organizations in the region-Earl Bailey now wonders whether things can get worse.
A curfew was imposed following the clashes, residents were not allowed to move around until Friday night. According to Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Christopher Phillips, security forces had regained control over the situation, although tensions were running high as protesters had blocked roads and set fires.
Retaliatory violence by some of the town’s resident against the police action that targeted Lobban as part of a wider crackdown on gang violence. Videos of scenes of stone-throwing and bottle-throwing crowds pursued the gang leader and officers are on social media. The unrest comes in a growing tide of violence in Spanish Town, a hotbed of criminal activity, where for over two decades, gangs such as One Order and the Klansman gang have waged a deadly turf war.
This violence is occurring amidst a greater public emergency declared by the Jamaican government due to an alarming rise in violent crime. One Order gang is believed to be linked to some political factions; it has long been involved in extortion, drug trafficking, and murder. As many as 250 gangs are estimated to be active in Jamaica, the local authorities are under immense pressure to quell the violence, which is a major contributory factor in the country’s high homicide rate.
Experts fear the killing could unleash even more bloodshed, complicating the situation further in a nation already brimming with anger.
