Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer
SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
POLICE FEAR that a violent internal feud in Spanish Town's notorious Klansman gang, that has been festering since last Monday, could escalate into a major gang war.
Already the feud has claimed several lives in the past week.
In all, seven murders were reported in four days in the violent former capital and its environs, raising the tally of murders in the St. Catherine North police division to 115.
Police have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the murders as residents there brace for inevitable reprisals.
Among those killed since last Monday were 38-year-old labourer Errol Miller a.k.a 'Crackers' of Waterloo district; Joseph Purcel also called 'Dah' of Rivoli; and Junior Richards, 21, alias 'Dukie', also of Rivoli. All three are believed to be prominent members of the 'Klansman' gang.
The police said Purcel and Miller had been wanted by them, having been linked to an incident in Spanish Town on Monday when six persons, including a 12-year-old, were shot at the intersection of Young Street and Old Market Street.
Richards, the police claim, had been linked to the murder of a businessman in Spanish Town.
Another man, 21-year-old Damian Williams, is missing and feared dead, police said.
According to Detective Divisional Inspector, Derrick Champagnie, the area of concern now is the road called Rivoli Close in St. Catherine. He said there was a strong police presence there to deal with any upsurge in criminal activities.
Having gone into the area yesterday morning, several heavily-armed policemen on foot and mobile patrol were seen at various points in the community.
"We are going into these communities and will be maintaining a presence and reassuring the residents that they can remain in their homes as the police will be there to protect them," Inspector Champagnie said.
The feud has also spilled over into other communities outside Spanish Town. In the rural community of Gobay near Glengoffe in St. Catherine, 38-year-old Kenroy Lee also known as 'Outlaw' was shot dead on Wednesday morning. Witnesses report that he was shot by men wearing black and red vests commonly worn by policemen. "Outlaw was seen to be a traitor and an informer, " a source told The Gleaner.
