Delroy Carter was killed at his house in East Kingston.
Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
GUN VIOLENCE claimed the lives of two men in the volatile Mountain View Avenue area of East Kingston yesterday morning.
They have been identified as 51-year-old Delroy Carter of 68A Mountain View Avenue and 34-year-old Mark Ellis, a supervisor at Ring Road Bis-cuit Company of 55 Mountain View Avenue.
A team of policemen who responded to the distress calls of residents, themselves came under intense gun fire. A strong contingent of police and soldiers later converged on the area and up to press time still maintained a strong presence there. A curfew was imposed in the area last night.
The police reported that about 7:00 a.m. yesterday, Delroy Carter was at home and was heard talking with a man in his house. Shortly after, several gunshots were heard and he was found lying on his back in his bedroom with a number of gunshot wounds to the upper part of his body.
UNDER FIRE
While the police were carrying out their investigations, they reportedly came under fire by a number of gunmen in the area. The police were assisted out of the area after a number of their colleagues responded to their cries for reinforcement. The Mountain View area has been tense for much of last week with political factions exchanging gunshots, prior to and in the wake of the Local Government elections.
Member of Parliament for the constituency, Maxine Henry-Wilson, said the community was perfectly peaceful until election night. "The fact is, there has been a flare up of violence and it has been taking place since election night. Two persons were killed in the McGreggor Gully area," said Mrs. Henry-Wilson who is also the People's National Party's General Secretary.
"I don't know if what is going on is retaliation or not," she said.
A mother and her son Delma McKeller, a 60-year-old retired hospital supervisor and David McKeller, a mentally ill 40-year-old were slain in their home at Fourth Avenue, Vineyard Town, Thursday night.
OUT OF HAND
According to Mrs. Henry-Wilson, the Political Ombudsman, the Rev. Herro Blair was in the community on Friday. She said she, and the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) caretaker for the area, Phillip Henriques, were trying to get Rev. Blair to intervene. Rev. Blair yesterday described the situation in Mountain View as out of hand. He said it has reached a stage where "we have to request the presence of the security forces. I hope and trust that the commanding officer will do what is necessary to protect the law-abiding citizens of the community."
Rev. Blair said he had no specific information whether the recent flare up of violence had anything to do with the recent Local Government elections.
"We have not got a confirmation from the police. But it would appear that something happened at the polling station on Thursday and some reprisal was taken and as a result, the two persons who were killed on Thursday, were just caught in it. I understand that they are not people who would go out and declare their political intentions," he pointed out. "It might have been that they were at the right place at the wrong time their house."
The Political Ombudsman said he won't be touring the area today, but he would do so soon.
The JLP caretaker could not be reached for comments.
In the second incident yesterday, Mark Ellis, a passenger in a white Toyota Hiace bus, was shot at about 8:15 a.m. as the vehicle moved in a northerly direction on Mountain View Avenue. He was shot in the right side of the neck.
The driver of the bus was still in shock yesterday morning when The Sunday Gleaner tried to ascertain from him what had happened. He simply shook his head only adding that he had already told the police everything.
His blood-stained bus with several gunshot holes to the right side (the driver's side), and with the right front tyre punctured by a bullet, was towed to the Vineyard Town Police Station.
A female, driving a white Toyota Hiace bus, who was seen at the station said she was commandeered by residents of the area to take Mr. Ellis to the hospital.
"I said why me? Look how much vehicle de bout," said the young woman with tears in her eyes. She said she then saw the injured man sitting in the passengers' seat and was wondering why no one had assisted him earlier.
Nevertheless, the injured man was placed in her vehicle. She proceeded to the police station where, according to her, an argument developed over who should carry the injured man to the hospital.
"Mi carry him go straight a the Stadium Police, and them want me to carry him go hospital. Mi say no sa. Dem even wa mi son drive. Mi say no man, him a just 16. At that time him did alive as mi see him belly a go up and down," she noted.
According to Sergeant Reynolds of the CCN, "We received information that a white Toyota Hiace bus which was being driven by a female was stopped and Mr. Ellis was placed in this vehicle. She drove to the Stadium Police, where she became hysterical. A police from the Stadium station then drove the vehicle to the University Hospital where Mr. Ellis was pronounced dead."
Sergeant Reynolds said it is believed that Mr. Ellis was shot while the gunmen where firing at the police. The police said they have no motive for the killings. Both murders are being investigated by the Kingston East Police Division.
