Cops Acquitted In Shrewsbury Shooting

Two Jamaica Constabulary Force constables were acquitted on Wednesday of murder charges in the 2013 shooting deaths of three men in Shrewsbury, Westmoreland, ending a long-running criminal case in Kingston. Constables Damane Campbell and Kenroy Hinds were found not guilty after Justice Leighton Pusey directed the jury to return acquittals, according to courtroom reports from the Jamaica Observer and The Gleaner. (jamaicaobserver.com) The case centered on the deaths of brothers Andrew Brydson and Tristan Brydson, and their cousin Kingsley Green, who were shot on March 15, 2013. The ruling followed a four-week trial in the Home Circuit Court. ### Why did the trial end without convictions? (indecom.gov.jm) Justice Leighton Pusey ended the case after considering no-case submissions from the defense teams for both officers, the Jamaica Observer reported. In Jamaican criminal procedure, a no-case submission argues that prosecutors have not presented enough evidence to justify sending the case to the jury for deliberation on guilt. The Home Circuit Court in Kingston formally recorded not-guilty verdicts after that ruling, according to The Gleaner. The reports said the trial had run for four weeks before the judge upheld the defense applications. (jamaicaobserver.com) ### Who were the officers and the victims? Constables Damane Campbell and Kenroy Hinds were the two officers on trial in the case. The men killed were identified as Andrew Brydson, his brother Tristan Brydson, and their cousin Kingsley Green. March 15, 2013, was the date of the shooting in the Shrewsbury community of Westmoreland. (jamaicaobserver.com) The Jamaica Observer reported that the three men were allegedly shot by police at a shop in the community. ### What did police say happened in Shrewsbury in 2013? A police report at the time said officers went to a location in Shrewsbury on information and encountered armed men, The Gleaner reported. (jamaica-gleaner.com) That account said the three men were killed in a gun battle and that police seized an assault rifle and a handgun after the incident. (jamaicaobserver.com) Residents in Shrewsbury and Lacovia challenged that version of events and staged protests after the killings, according to The Gleaner. The newspaper described the case as controversial and said the deaths triggered days of unrest in the area. (jamaicaobserver.com) ### How did the case reach court more than a decade later? The Independent Commission of Investigations, known as INDECOM, charged the officers after investigating the 2013 shootings, The Gleaner reported. A 2013 Jamaica Observer report said the two constables were granted bail after their arrest in connection with the killings. (jamaica-gleaner.com) INDECOM remains Jamaica’s state body for investigating actions by security forces and other state agents that result in death, injury or alleged rights abuses, according to the agency’s website. The commission’s reports page said 64 officers had been charged following INDECOM investigations from 2024 to 2026, and listed 126 fatal shootings year to date in 2026 as of May 11. (jamaica-gleaner.com) ### Who represented the officers in court? Peter Champagnie, Samoi Campbell and Sayeed Bernard represented Damane Campbell, The Gleaner reported. Jacqueline Samuels Brown and Zara Lewis represented Kenroy Hinds. (jamaica-gleaner.com) IRIE FM reported that the officers were "relieved and elated" after the acquittals. That characterization was attributed by the broadcaster to the policemen following the ruling in Kingston. ### What comes next after the acquittals? May 11, 2026, is the latest date shown on INDECOM’s reports page for its year-to-date fatal-shooting figures and charging data. (indecom.gov.jm) The commission’s website also lists complaint hotlines and an online reporting channel for members of the public seeking to report incidents involving security forces. The criminal case against Campbell and Hinds has ended with acquittals in the Home Circuit Court, according to the Jamaica Observer and The Gleaner. (jamaica-gleaner.com) Any further public accounting in the matter is likely to come through INDECOM reporting, court records or statements by lawyers and relatives of the dead men. (jamaicaobserver.com) (indecom.gov.jm) (iriefm.net)