September 30, 2026 – Two Police Officers and one Correctional Officer, have been charged in connection with three separate assault matters investigated by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). Following INDECOM’s investigations, the matters were submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which issued rulings for charges to be laid. The three officers were subsequently placed before the Courts between September 22 and 25, 2026.
The matters are as follows:
Assault of a male civilian by a JCF Officer
Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Officer, Constable Omari Gooden appeared before the St. Catherine Parish Court on September 22, 2026, where he was charged with Unlawful Wounding, contrary to section 39 of the Offences Against the Person Act.
The charges are in relation to the assault of a male civilian on July 30, 2020 along Burke Road in St. Catherine. The complainant alleges that he sustained injuries to his lip, neck and right flank during a physical altercation arising from a dispute over vehicular damage. The complainant was also charged by the police in relation to this incident.
Following an unsuccessful mediation session, the concerned parties were bound over to return to court on November 13, 2026 for Case Management.
Assault of a male by a DCS Officer
A member of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Correctional Officer Tyrone Palmer, appeared before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, by summons, on September 23, 2026, where he was charged with Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm.
The charges are in relation to the assault of a man, on July 24, 2025, while in custody at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre. The allegations arose from the use of force against the complainant after contraband was found and seized. Medical evidence states that the complainant sustained a rupture to the central part of his left eardrum, which subsequently healed.
The matter returns to court on November 24, 2026.
Assault of a male civilian by a JCF Officer
Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Officer, Constable Akino Pennycooke appeared before the St. Catherine Parish Court on September 25, 2026, where he was charged with Unlawful Wounding. Constable Pennycooke was off-duty at the time of the incident.
The charges arose from the assault of a man at a residence in Portmore in St. Catherine on December 22, 2025. The medical reports indicated that the complainant suffered lacerations, one of which required sutures.
The matter returns to court on November 6, 2026.
With these charges, the total number of law enforcement officers charged in 2026 in relation to incidents investigated by INDECOM, has risen to eighteen (18). This comprises sixteen (16) members of the JCF (including one former Constable) and two Correctional Officers. The charges relate to fatal shooting and assault investigations.
Sentencing of Constable Patrick Walters
On Friday September 25, 2026, Constable Patrick Walters was scheduled to appear before the Home Circuit Court for sentencing following his guilty plea to manslaughter and using a firearm to commit a felony. The sentencing was postponed to Friday, October 2, 2026.
The guilty plea refers to the fatal shooting of D’Jonnay Graham on June 25, 2025 in Essex District, Richmond, St. Mary. The fatal shooting was investigated by INDECOM, which subsequently prepared and submitted its report to the ODPP. In its ruling to INDECOM dated July 17, 2025, the ODPP directed that Constable Walters be charged.
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