Rushawn Patterson, the man accused of murdering social media influencer Aneka “Slickianna” Townsend in 2022, was shot by police during an alleged confrontation in Hanover on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred around 5:40 a.m., according to the police, who have not yet provided details on what led to the shooting.
At the time of the incident, Patterson was out on bail and was awaiting his next court appearance on October 15. His case had faced multiple delays due to incomplete files, including a chain-of-custody statement and forensic evidence from the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Communication Forensics and Cyber-Crime Unit.
Patterson was arrested on November 2, 2022, following a high-level police operation after Townsend’s body was discovered floating in the sea in Reading, St James, on October 21. A post-mortem examination later confirmed that she had been strangled. He was formally charged with her murder on November 11.
According to police reports, Townsend had traveled from Kingston to Montego Bay on October 20, 2022, where she was picked up by Patterson. The two visited a restaurant in Hanover before heading to a guest house in St James. That night, an argument reportedly broke out between them, leading to Townsend’s death and the subsequent disposal of her body.
Rushawn Patterson was named as a person of interest the day after Townsend’s body was found but failed to turn himself in by the police’s deadline. He was eventually captured at a guest house in Hanover on November 2, 2022.
His trial had been repeatedly postponed due to missing documents, most recently in January, when the court granted additional time for prosecutors to complete outstanding case files.
The police are expected to release more details regarding Tuesday’s shooting as investigations continue.
