Police officer killed in hit-and-run; manhunt underway

A police sergeant with over 30 years of service was tragically killed in a hit-and-run incident on Wednesday, triggering an urgent manhunt for the driver who fled the scene.

The victim, identified as 50-year-old Antonio Rochester of the Marine Department, was struck by a motor truck that continued driving “a fair distance” before the driver abandoned the vehicle.

Reports from the police indicate that at about 1:50 p.m., a motor truck travelling along the Tudor Bridge main road in St Michael struck a pedestrian before crashing into a wall on the western side of the road.

The police say the vehicle did not stop but “continued travelling a fair distance” from the scene of the incident and that the driver of the vehicle then fled.

Rochester, who reportedly spent over 30 years in the force, was later pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders.

“Today a lot of our police officers are under the weather,” said Police Communications and Public Affairs Officer, Inspector Rodney Inniss. “We received reports that a pedestrian was struck and that pedestrian turned out to be one of our own who lives in the area. He unfortunately died at the scene.”

Inspector Inniss described Sergeant Rochester as a “joyous” colleague and extended condolences on behalf of the force to his wife, children, and parents.

“It is very difficult to deal with at this time for both the police and the family members,” he said, noting that many officers are shaken by the incident.

The police have since issued an urgent appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the collision or has information about the driver to contact the police at 211 or 430-7100 or the Black Rock Police Station at 417-7500.

Inniss told reporters that the incident is being treated as a road traffic death “until any other evidence comes to hand that we can treat it otherwise”.