Politician’s son killed - Victim of gun attack on party meeting Police seek two suspects

Tayon Colomathi

The Montego Bay Police are seeking two men whom they believe can assist them with their investigation into Sunday night’s gun slaying of Tayon Colomathi, son of former People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor for the Springmount Division in St. James, Donald Colomathi.

Tayon, 30, a salesman of Mountain View Drive in Westgate Hills, Montego Bay, was shot dead while at a PNP cluster meeting just outside a school in Hampton, St. James. 

According to the Head of Crime for the St. James Police Division, Supt. Derrick Champagnie, the two men being sought are Kenardo Edwards, also called ‘Joe’ of Hampton in St. James, and Damion Buddington, also called ‘Speedball’ of the Granville area. 

The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) said that based on investigations carried out by the Montego Bay Police, Tayon stepped outside to answer his cellphone. The CCN further reported that shortly after, explosions were heard and Tayon was found lying on his back with gunshot wounds. 

When the Western Mirror spoke with his grief-stricken father on Monday, Colomathi who is also a vice president of the St. James Lay Magistrates’ Association, was still puzzled as to why his son was killed.   

“I am not aware. So far, any information we have is sketchy,” he said when asked if he had knowledge of any threats to his son’s life.

In describing Tayon’s murder as “a challenge”, Colomathi said: “For me personally, his mother and his family, we see this as a challenge at this time; we have lost someone who would have future potential, he was loving and respectful and would have made a contribution to the society.”

He added, “This by itself sends an even greater signal for me how wanton and how cheap lives are in Jamaica and the level of criminality or the rule of law.” 

POLITICIAN

Tayon’s Facebook page showed his affinity to the PNP and his father disclosed that he had his sights set on entering representational politics.  

In explaining that the cluster meeting was aimed at analyzing Election Day activities in the area and to get workers prepared for the upcoming Local Government Election, Colomathi said:

“I actually drove in Tayon’s car to go there; the reason that Tayon was there was because he had future ambition for representation and I was introducing him to the people, the process and to the community.” 

END OF MEETING

At the end of the meeting, Colomathi recalled, they went to outside at the entrance of the school where persons had converged. “Myself and two other PNP persons from the John’s Hall area who went along with him, went into his car. He was apparently well-wishing and saying goodbye and then we heard this barrage of gunshots,” he recounted.  

Colomathi contnued: “When gunshots started to fire, we didn’t see Tayon, then one of the guys who was with us in the back of the car we asked him to move the car and we drove off from there and we called the police on 119. Other persons ran off before and some later returned.” 

He explained that it was “when we returned a lady was passing and we asked if anybody died and she said yes and that the person had on an orange shirt.”

A distraught Colomathi further recalled that it was at that point he recognized that it was his son. When they drove back to the scene, they saw Tayon’s lying on his back moments after being shot. The CCN reported that Tayon was taken to hospital afterwards where he was pronounced dead.  

In the meantime, Supt. Champagnie said that the men - Kenardo Edwards (aka ‘Joe’) of Hampton in St. James and Damion Buddington (aka Speedball) - are being asked to turn themselves in as early as possible.

 Anyone knowing their whereabouts is being asked to call the Montego Bay CIB at 953-6191, Kingfish at 811, Crime Stop at 311 or the nearest police station.