WESTERN BUREAU:

A man holding three persons for ransom was fatally shot by police and his victims released after a nearly 24-hour ordeal at a residence in Irwin, St James, yesterday afternoon.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Denver Frater, officer in charge of the Area One Police, confirmed last night that the dead man was prison escapee 25-year-old Zetroy 'Bella' Jones, also of Irwin district.

The police had a $100,000 bounty placed on his head after he was listed among St James' 10 most-wanted men in July.

Investigators also detained two other men in connection with the incident.

The Gleaner understands that Jones and another man forced their way into a residence at Irwin about 1 p.m. Tuesday and held the victims - an 80-year-old retired civil servant, her nephew and a family friend - at gunpoint and demanded the ransom for their release.

"We received information yesterday morning and went to the area," said Frater. "We want to thank the members of the community for their support in bringing the operation to a successful conclusion as well as to commend the officers for the professional manner in which they executed their training."

Reducing crime

He added: "We believe that support of this nature will go a far way in reducing crime problem in Jamaica."

Reports are that the kidnappers tried to escape from the house some time after midnight and engaged the police in a shoot-out. Jones was hit and an Intratech submachine gun with a quantity of 9mm ammunition was recovered from him.

His accomplice managed to escape into the bushes but was subsequently apprehended in the nearby Porto Bello area. No weapon was retrieved from the accomplice.

Later, police held a third man, who allegedly went to collect the ransom money, in downtown Montego Bay.

Jones and Orlando Minto Jr were found missing from a truck transporting prisoners from Kingston to Montego Bay, St James, on April 4. Jones was facing charges of robbery, murder and shooting at the time of his escape.