Kingston violence

This item appears on page 16 of the July 2010 issue.

In Kingston, Jamaica, gun battles between security forces and supporters of a drug lord, which began May 23, left at least 73 civilians and two policemen and one soldier dead, with dozens injured. 

When the Jamaican government agreed to extradite Christopher “Dudas” Coke to the US and police tried to arrest him, Coke’s supporters barricaded the neighborhoods of Tivoli Gardens and Denham town and gunfights broke out. Five police stations were burned in two districts, and there were car-jackings and looting. 

The government declared a 30-day state of emergency in certain areas in the capital, and the US State Department issued a travel warning about Kingston and its surrounding areas. As of June 3, Coke remained at large.