By Noel Thompson, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
POLICE IN St. James remain baffled by the recent spate of killings in the Blood Lane and Hendon communities in the parish.
Three persons have fallen victims to gunmen's bullets within the past three weeks, but none of the crimes has been solved. Police say 'people just won't talk.'
"No one has come forward to give a statement. Even the victims' relatives have refused to speak. Therefore, we do not know the true motive for the killings," Deputy Supt. Roy Boyd, the parish crime chief said yesterday.
The three murdered were Suzette Foote, otherwise called 'Suzie,' 24, of Blood Lane; 16-year-old Gary Walker, alias "Six", of Blood Lane and; Marlon Minott, a 32-year-old mason of that same address.
During rainfall on Tuesday afternoon, Miss Foote was walking with a female friend in neighbouring Hendon and on reaching the vicinity of a four-road crossing, explosions were heard. Minutes later, she was discovered with a bullet wound to the head and another to her abdomen. She died on the spot.
Shortly after the incident on Tuesday, residents told The Gleaner they believed the killings were gang-related. Many were reluctant to divulge any information, but a few charged that Ms Foote was shot by another woman.
They suggested her death could be an act of reprisal, as she was involved in a recent fracas in which another woman sustained serious injuries.
"We are living in fear and lots of people are moving out of the community. It reminds me of some of the things I see on the TV, which are happening in troubled communities in Kingston where people are making their exodus from the areas because of the killings," one man said.
He said there were some gangs controlled by men and there are some female crews operating in the surroundings, which include 'Ouch', 'Survivors', 'Not Nice' and 'Top-a-Top," he said. Miss Foote was reportedly a member of the Top-a-Top.
About 9.00 p.m. last Monday, 16-year-old Gary Walker was sitting with friends near his home when a man approached and fatally shot him. Two days later, Marlon Minott was shot dead inside his outdoor lavatory.
Yesterday, residents of Blood Lane told The Gleaner that the gang members from neighbouring communities had been targeting them.
Meanwhile, DSP Boyd said yesterday that investigations were being carried out into the murders, but stressed that the police were making very little progress because of the reluctance on the citizens part to speak.
"We have intensified police presence in the area. A police team drawn from different stations has been assigned to specifically work in the community to reassure the residents. The shootings are of serious concerns," he said. Since January there have been 56 murders in St. James.
