By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
THREE PERSONS have been shot dead while nine others, including two members of the security forces, are now nursing gunshot wounds, following an upsurge of gun violence in at least four Corporate Area and St. Catherine constituencies since Monday, Nomination Day.
Among the trouble spots are Papine in the constituency of St. Andrew East Rural; Spanish Town in St. Catherine Central; Southside in Central Kingston, and the Mountain View Avenue area of St. Andrew South Eastern.
According to the police, violence erupted in the Mountain View Avenue area early yesterday morning. The Constabulary Communication Network said three persons were shot and injured there.
Reports are that a 46-year-old man was shot several times, all over the body, on Saunders Avenue, while a 22-year-old man was shot in the left eye. Both have since been hospitalised in critical condition.
Andrew Williams, 19, who was shot in the left leg, was treated and sent home. He told The Gleaner that he was shot by men firing from the direction of Jarrett Lane, a People's National Party stronghold.
Following the shooting, the area was saturated with heavily-armed members of the security forces.
"We have two foot patrols in the Jacques Road area and by the end of the day we will be putting in place two more foot patrols in the 'Back Bush' area and we will be here for sometime," Deputy Supt. Steve McGregor of the East Kingston Police, told The Gleaner yesterday.
Bishop Herro Blair, chairman of the Peace Management Initiative, and Political Ombudsman; Paul Burke, chairman of the PNP's Region Three, Phillip Henriques, the JLP's candidate for St. Andrew South Eastern, and St. Aubyn Bartlett, the JLP's candidate for the adjoining constituency of St. Andrew Eastern, toured the troubled areas yesterday.
After speaking with residents and the area leaders of Jarrett Lane and "Back Bush", Bishop Blair said that if the violence continued, he may have to intervene as Political Ombudsman. He promised to meet with the candidates again to come up with a solution to the problem.
"We, as politicians, have to be careful of what we say. You can't seem to be defending things that are not right," Dr. Bartlett said.
Four persons have been shot in Papine since Nomination Day. The first was on Monday. On Tuesday three persons, including two females, were shot and wounded by gunmen at the Papine bus terminus.
It was reported also that five persons, including two policemen, have been shot in the Spanish Town since Tuesday. With the exception of the two policemen, all the other victims died from their injuries.
Police suspect that the brutal killing yesterday morning of Zack Clare, 29, nicknamed "Jerry", of Job Lane, could be a reprisal for the death of Delroy Ramsay, nicknamed "Tom", of Top Mountain, Kitson Town, who was killed by gunmen at a garage on Old Harbour Road Wednesday evening.
On Monday one man was shot dead in Southside, central Kingston.
