Macabre Monday
Macabre Monday . As heavy gunfire erupted along Waltham Park Road in St Andrew on Monday night, a visitor to the island quickly laid on the ground as she took cover. Terrified by the escalating screams, the woman remained prone on the floor of the shop until she...
The Gleaner
As heavy gunfire erupted along Waltham Park Road in St Andrew on Monday night, a visitor to the island quickly laid on the ground as she took cover. Terrified by the escalating screams, the woman remained prone on the floor of the shop until she saw the flashing police lights.

She described the horrific scene, with bloodstains and dismembered body parts scattered across the pavement.

“When mi see the people dem a look, my stomach turned. I don’t live here, but the people knew di man dem and the way the gunshot do dem, they were not recognisable. It was ugly. What are my Jamaicans doing killing off each other?” she asked, recalling the ghastly scene.

Fitzroy Watkis told The Gleaner on Tuesday that his brother, Robert ‘Chicken Back’ Henry, was among the dead.

Henry was one of four men who died at the intersection of Ayrshire Avenue and Waltham Park Road, while a fifth person died some 70 metres further along Waltham Park Road in the vicinity of 75 Lane.

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Watkis described his brother as “a nice likkle man. Him nuh trouble people. Him just bun him cigarette and drink him rum and sit over there”.

Watkis recalled hearing gunfire while he was getting ready to shower and quickly got dressed. Upon venturing outside, he was informed that his brother was among the victims.

“Mi go over there and take off him jewellery off him hand and mi fi tek off di chain [but] mi couldn’t look pon him, so mi leave it. Mi couldn’t believe dem mash up mi bredda so and him a nuh wrongdoer,” he said.

Eyewitnesses said four gunmen approached on foot, shot at the victims, and then ran away.

Another relative described arriving at the scene after hearing gunshots and finding his uncle among the dead.

“Mi drive in and dem say, ‘Dim yuh light! Dim yuh light ‘cause shooting!’ Mi a say, ‘Shooting? Where?’ Mi park the car and run come out, mi see mi uncle over deh. Mi foot just get weak so. A work him a come from and go round deh go have a drink and dem start fire shot,” he said.

‘Deeply disturbed’

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, and senior police officials visited the scene. Holness expressed his condolences and vowed to pursue those responsible for the killings. “We are deeply disturbed by this, and we will ensure that these criminals face justice, or they’ll face their Maker,” Holness said. He referenced a recent press conference in which he discussed the growing trend of homicides in Jamaica, particularly those involving multiple victims.

On Tuesday morning, the fear in the community became palpable as Holness, accompanied by Chang, Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake, and other members of the Police High Command, visited the crime scene.

Some residents cried for help when Holness led the team along Waltham Park Road.

At the site of the mass killing along Ayrshire Avenue, Holness paused before expressing condolences, asking journalists not to step in the bloodstained areas – a difficult request given the extensive bloodshed.

“We are very disturbed by this,” he said, noting that he had previously discussed the growing trend of homicides in Jamaica, particularly those involving multiple victims.

The prime minister emphasised the Government’s commitment to dismantling gangs in Jamaica, noting that the number of documented gangs had decreased from over 300 to just under 180.

“These murders are being committed essentially by gangs. While the police have not definitively concluded in this specific instance that it is a gang-related matter, from what we are seeing so far, it is highly likely that it is a gang-related matter.

“The challenge, of course, is that the communities that are involved may not necessarily identify the players are being involved in gangs because, by and large, the community members would not be necessarily aware of the intricacy and details as to how these gangs operate,” Holness said.

Chang assured the public that his ministry would provide full support to law enforcement in their efforts to combat criminals who engage in multiple-victim killings.

“We are concerned and will be looking at the entire criminal justice system to see how we can deal with these types of characters, … this kind of criminal terrorism [that is] emerging,” he said.

Blake said that the two incidents on Monday appeared to be related, highlighting the need for an intensified response.

“This is another example of unprecedented multiple-victim violence,” Blake said. He also noted that the recent victims were innocent civilians who should have been safe. “We are committed to ensuring that these criminals do not disrupt the way of life for law-abiding citizens,” Blake added.

“This is another of the unprecedented multiple-victims violent incidents we have seen across the country in recent times. I would like to just assure the public that we have been quite relentless [in pursuing the perpetrators],” he said, noting that other suspects in previous incidents are before the court, dead, or still on the run.

“These are innocent citizens playing a game of domino which everyone should be able to do, and we, the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force), commit that our way of life will continue and will not be disrupted by these individuals,” the commissioner said.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com
Jamaica
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2024-11-27
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As heavy gunfire erupted along Waltham Park Road in St Andrew on Monday night, a visitor to the island quickly laid on the ground as she took cover. Terrified by the escalating screams, the woman remained prone on the floor of the shop until she...
Macabre Monday