Point Blank Range

Book excerpt: Jamaica has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the world. In the three decades from the 1970s, gun crimes and murders threatened to destroy the political system if not the island. The fatality rate of police in the line of duty was among the highest in the world, as was the number of civilians killed by the police. Into this melee came a young police officer called Isaiah Laing. During the height of his period in the Force, he had the dubious reputation of fatally wounding more criminals in the line of duty than any other officer. With his good looks, designer clothes, and flamboyant life style, he attracted both interest and criticism.Point Blank Range skillfully charts the rise of Jamaican icon Isaiah Laing, and tells the story of crime, violence and corruption in 1970s, 80s and 90s Jamaica.