SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Jamaica — A Westmoreland family is confronting profound grief and raising serious questions about police conduct following the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Ferguson, marking the second son Janice Pillner has lost to violence.
The incident occurred Saturday night along East Street in Savanna-la-Mar, where Ferguson and another man known locally as ‘Shootie’ died during an encounter with law enforcement. While official police reports remain unavailable, family members present a dramatically different account from circulating narratives.
Pillner, a mother of six, vehemently disputes characterizations of her son as a criminal. ‘He was a young youth just ready to blossom,’ she stated emotionally, emphasizing he had no criminal convictions and left no children behind. ‘They never charged him with anything—why would they take his life?’
The family’s account suggests problematic police interactions predated the fatal incident. Ferguson’s sister, Vanessa Ferguson, revealed her brother had been repeatedly detained regarding the murder of local jerk chicken vendor Errol ‘Jerky’ McDonald but was never formally charged. ‘If they believed he killed Jerky, why wasn’t he incarcerated after all those arrests?’ she questioned.
Compounding the tragedy, Ferguson reportedly witnessed his older brother’s murder years earlier and had subsequently received threats related to that case. The family alleges an eyewitness—a nurse from Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital—overheard dialogue between the men and police preceding the fatal shots.
Vanessa Ferguson described her brother’s final hours: he had babysat her son earlier that day and made his customary check-in call before the altercation. Family members heard explosions miles away and contacted Ferguson, who initially assured them he was safe and returning home before more gunfire erupted.
The other victim’s family declined to speak with media, while Jamaica Constabulary Force has not responded to requests for comment. The incident has ignited fresh concerns about police accountability and use of force in Westmoreland parishes, where tensions between communities and law enforcement remain high.