Murder of former Jamaican policeman Courtney Manning, who was vacationing in the island, has left his family in the United States in shock

Thursday, July 03, 2014    

MONDAY night's murder of former Jamaican policeman Courtney Manning, who was vacationing in the island, has left his family in the United States in shock, according to a family friend.

The 45-year-old former narcotics policeman was found dead in a Nissan Tiida motor car at Caymanas Bay, located off the Mandela Highway in St Catherine. He had a bullet wound to the head, police said.

The car was reportedly seen parked for a long time by residents who called the cops and upon their arrival Manning's body was found inside the vehicle.

Manning, 45, was said to be a dedicated policeman during his time at the Narcotics Branch.

"His death has really come as a shock and has hurt us hard. He was a good man," one of his former colleagues told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Detectives from the St Catherine South Division are probing the murder of the ex-policeman but were yesterday unable to say what leads they were following.

Yesterday, a family friend who resides in the United States said he knew the ex-policeman for about 15 years before he emigrated to the United States with his family, started the Ebenezer Church in the Bronx, New York, before relocating to Altanta, Georgia where he worked as a schoolteacher.

The family friend, who spoke highly of the former Jamaican policeman, said it was usual for him to visit Jamaica at this time of year.