Singer Gaza Tussan killed by cops in Portmore

Dancehall artiste Gaza Tussan, a co-accused in the murder trial of Clive “Lizard” Williams and a former member of Vybz Kartel's Portmore Empire, was reportedly killed during an alleged confrontation with police in Portmore, St Catherine, on Saturday. The 37-year-old deceased, whose given name was Shane Williams, had been publicly listed by the St Catherine South police as a person of interest in 2023. Police confirmed the fatal shooting.

"Williams, who was otherwise known as Gaza Tussaint or Teachable, was fatally shot during a confrontation with the cops about 3:45 am in Cumberland," a representative of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Network told Observer Online. The police said they seized a .38 revolver and a number of 5.38 cartridges during the incident. Gaza Tussan enjoyed brief success as an artiste with collaborations such as Sweetest Days featuring Vybz Kartel which was perhaps one of his most successful and widely streamed tracks.

Other songs include the high-energy uptempo House a Bun Dung featuring Vybz Kartel, and Toolie featuring Hayz. But Williams' name is perhaps best remembered nationally for his connection to the murder trial involving Vybz Kartel, whose given name is Adidja Palmer. Williams was among the men charged in connection with the 2011 killing, the case that ultimately sent Kartel and several other co-accused to prison.

Unlike Palmer, however, Williams walked free. In March 2014, the jury found Williams not guilty while convicting Kartel, Shawn “Shawn Storm” Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John. Those convictions would eventually be overturned.

In 2024, the UK-based Privy Council quashed the convictions because of juror misconduct, and Jamaica's Court of Appeal subsequently decided against ordering a new trial, resulting in Kartel and his remaining co-accused being released. In the meantime, this latest fatal shooting incident has been reported to the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau and the Independent Commission of Investigations.