Tragic birthday - Man demands justice for brother killed in police shooting

What should have been a day of celebration turned into mourning, when just hours into his birthday, a man received the devastating news that his big brother had been shot and killed by police.

The deceased is 34-year-old Andre Calvert of Rae Town, East Kingston, a mason and Uber operator . He leaves behind two children. Calvert was killed early yesterday during a police operation. Speaking with THE STAR, the grieving brother said Calvert was never involved in criminal activity and was being unfairly labelled.

"Him is not a man weh preach badness and him is no don. Him have him friend dem round him and it come like once you have friends, as a man, dem brand you as a don. Not because you have more than 10 friend round you mean you a don," he said.

Residents strongly disputed any claim that Calvert posed a threat, with one bystander describing the killing as police brutality. The person claimed that Calvert was asleep when police entered his home.

"The whole a we down yah so, a him same one let them in. When you go inna the house you nuh see no sign of fighting nor resistance. Them kill him and throw him inna the van back that time him dead already."

"A Uber him run, him carry the kids go school and say him a go in go lie down because him have the pickney dem fi pick up inna the 2 o'clock and then him ago work inna the night."

According to a source, Calvert had allegedly been on the police's radar after he was implicated in a murder in a neighbouring community. However, Calvert's brother said those allegations were far from the truth.

"My brother is not a bad man because bad man nuh do 9-to-5 mason work or do Uber. A mostly hotels him go work with but you have some set a people when you a elevate, dem nuh want that." He said he last spoke to Calvert just hours before the fatal shooting.

"Last night (Tuesday night), mi brother call me and say him know say a mi '[Earth]strong' (birthday) so mi fi come look fi him. Mi come in from work and a get a sleep fi come to him and when mi wake bout 1:45 mi get the call say police just kill mi bredda," he said. He described Calvert as a fun-loving man who was well liked.

"Tony a one a dem jovial youth, you haffi laugh if you round him," he said, adding that the pain was magnified by the fact that the tragedy happened on his birthday.

"Mi not even feel like a my birthday. After today mi nuh think my birthday ago be the same. When mi jump pon a bus fi come over, mi all pass mi stop when mi did fi come off out a [Kingston] Public Hospital. This shocking and fi get this news pon mi birthday is the worse feeling," he said.

THE STAR contacted Superintendent Michelle Campbell, commanding officer for the East Kingston Police Division, who up to news time, said she had not been briefed.