Three killed in alleged shoot-out identified as prison escapees


Monday, May 26, 2008



THE police yesterday confirmed that the three men killed on Saturday during a shooting incident with the police were escapees from the Horizon Remand Centre, and had been on the run since April.

The men have been identified as 39-year-old Wayne 'Waynie Bones' Dawson, 27-year-old Michael Gayle, who was also known as 'Tipperlee' and 'Paul', and Omar Campbell, who was also known as 'Damion Dennis' and 'Jay'.


The minibus in which three men, who were later identified by police as prison escapees, were killed during an alleged gun battle with the police. Thirty-nine-year-old Wayne 'Waynie Bones' Dawson, 27-year-old Michael Gayle, who was also known as 'Tipperlee' and 'Paul', and Omar Campbell, who was also known as 'Damion Dennis' and 'Jay', escaped from the Horizon Remand Centre in April.

At the time of their escape, Dawson was serving a life sentence for murder, while Gayle and Campbell were both serving sentences for illegal possession of firearm and robbery with aggravation, the police said.

According to police reports of Saturday's incident, Dawson, Gayle and Campbell were travelling in a white Toyota Hiace bus, when a member of a police team, which was on operation at the intersection of Queen Hill Drive and Red Hills Road, signalled the driver to stop. The driver reportedly drove onto Queen Hill Drive, and the police subsequently gave chase. Sometime afterwards, the police say they intercepted the bus and ordered the occupants out of the vehicle. The driver allegedly alighted from the vehicle, while the others pulled weapons and opened fire at the police. The police say they took evasive action, returned the fire and a shoot-out ensued.

During the gunfire, one of the men in the mini-bus allegedly ran out of the vehicle and escaped on foot.

After the shooting subsided and the vehicle was checked, the three men were seen suffering from gunshot wounds. They were subsequently taken to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) where they were pronounced dead. However, the driver of the bus, whose identity is being withheld by the police, has been taken into custody for questioning.

During their search of the vehicle the police say they recovered a Llama .45 semi-automatic pistol, with a magazine containing four cartridges, and a Feg .380 semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing three rounds.

The Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) is probing the incident.