Dancehall Artist Choppa Banks Killed In Shootout With Cops

Dancehall artist Choppa Banks was gunned down in a confrontation with the police on Saturday.

The ChopMode artist, whose real name is Swayne Hall, was killed during a dramatic daylight shootout that claimed the life of one of St Ann’s most wanted man, 42-year-old Manton Brown, also known as ‘Banton’, and also injured a policeman.

According to a release from the communications arm of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the artist was aboard a white Toyota Crown motor car before 4pm on Saturday on a section of the North-South Highway when it was intercepted by members of the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC).

Upon the approach of the police, the men aboard the car immediately began firing at the lawmen in a resulting gunfight, the CCU said. One of the shooters has been identified as Brown, while Choppa Banks was also shot. Both men died later at the hospital.

The status of the policeman will be updated in short order.

Choppa Banks who hails from a Queen’s Heights address in Discovery Bay, St. Ann, was known for singles such as ChopMode which was released a month ago, Dream and his most popular song, Bingo.

Brown was wanted in multiple cases of murder and shootings, including the April 2017 double murder of Alaska Castello and Adrian Thompson in Gregory Park, St Catherine. He was also wanted for the murder of Clifford Gallimore, also known as ‘Chucky’ or ‘King Cover’ in Brown’s Town, St Ann in September 2020 and the murder of Leabert Piper, also in Brown/s Town, St Ann in February 2021.

The police confirmed that a firearm and several rounds of ammunition were seized during the operation.