Mark Beckford, Staff Reporter

Sombre faces are all around as Krystal Vassell (right) speaks about her sister, Shainieta Smith, who was among seven persons killed in east Kingston, last Friday. Looking on are Shainieta's mother, Dawn Morris, and her younger sister, Renee Vassell. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Her mood reflected the rainy weather outside yesterday, an tears were not streaming down her face, because she had cried already, the overcast skies were as dark as the outlook she now has on life.

And in the midst of the celebration of her birthday today, for she is now 12 years old, Krystal Vassell will now be remembering the death of her older sister, Shainieta Smith.

Shainieta was taken from her last Friday when gunmen kicked open the door to her room on Norman Crescent, east Kingston, where she was sleeping beside her partner, Marlon Hurd, and their four-month-old baby, Rana-Jay, and sprayed them with bullets.

"I'm feeling sad and I miss her and I don't have her again. I'm looking forward to my birthday, but I'm sad; she always gives me money and sometimes she might carry me out and give me something." But today, her sister won't be there to share in the festivities of her special day.

Shainieta's mother, Dawn Morris, is also taking it badly and hopes that the killers are swiftly brought to justice.

"I'm trying to cope; it's a heavy burden, but I'm just trying. With God's prayers we have to find them and everybody's praying; these tears are not going in vain."

Men picked up

It appears as if those tears will not go in vain as Superintendent Assan Thompson, head of the Kingston eastern police division told The Gleaner that seven men were picked up in an operation outside the Rockfort area, yesterday morning.

"This morning (yesterday) we carried out a raid and seven persons were taken up and already we have identified positively two, and we know that arrests will be made soon."

Despite this breakthrough, Supt. Thompson believes the killings last Friday which took seven lives are indicative of a trend which has taken root in the society where communities hide gunmen, whose actions come back to haunt them.

"Communities that have allowed gunmen to hide and hide weapons should learn from the Rockfort incident, that those weapons are no longer there to protect the community those weapons are there to kill members of the community. We want them to report to the police any sightings they make of illegal firearms or wanted persons."

Krystal hopes Jamaica heeds the warning, even though she has already suffered the loss of her sister.

"Stop the crime and violence and stop all the killings ... ," she pleaded.

mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com