Jamaican actor and musician Brian-Todd Anthony Boucher, popularly known as Ras Ajai or Ajoy, has been shot dead in Waterford, St. Catherine, just hours after returning home from New York.

The 43-year-old gained international recognition for portraying political enforcer Claudie Massop in the 2024 biographical film Bob Marley: One Love.

According to the St. Catherine South Police Division, quoted by Jamaican Observer, Boucher and a 37-year-old man were walking along a road in Waterford when a vehicle carrying several armed men stopped nearby.

One of the suspects reportedly got out and opened fire before fleeing with the others.

Boucher sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to Spanish Town General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His companion was also shot and remains hospitalised under medical observation.

Police said Boucher, who lived in Northport Way, New York, had arrived in Jamaica only hours before the fatal attack.

Authorities have not established a motive for the shooting, and no arrests have been made. Detectives from the St. Catherine South Police Division have launched investigations into the killing.

Raised in Waterford, Portmore, Ras Ajai began his career singing in church before establishing himself in conscious reggae and dancehall. Mentored by Dean Fraser and Tarrus Riley, he released songs including Di Ras Hot, Need You Now, and Buss A Bubble.

He later signed with Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock Productions, toured across the United States, and was widely regarded as a rising talent in both music and acting.

The actor’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief from fans and members of the entertainment industry.