By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff ReporterMONDAY NIGHT'S double murder in downtown Kingston has intensified the tension between two rival gangs from the Mark Lane area of Fletchers Land, central Kingston.
The latest victims of the bloody feud are 27-year-old Michael Ferguson, otherwise called 'Belly Rat' and 37-year-old Joel Hibbert, both of Mark Lane addresses. Their deaths have pushed the number of persons killed violently since the start of the year to 894.
Woman Corporal Andrea Campbell, of the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), also reported that Monday night's shooting was the 36th reported case of double murder committed since January.
Further reports are that the shooting is a reprisal for another double murder that occurred earlier this month in the Mark Lane area. Two brothers, Wayne and Kelroy Grant, were shot and killed by gunmen in that incident.
Following the death of the brothers, several tenement houses were set ablaze by arsonists, forcing some persons to flee the area.
The Gleaner understands that up to a month ago, the rival factions enjoyed cordial relations, until a money deal went sour.
According to Danilo McLeish, Detective Divisional Inspector for the Kingston Central Division, Hibbert and Ferguson were suspects in the murder of the Grants. After that shooting they allegedly fled the area.
Hibbert and Ferguson reportedly drove a rented motor car to the service station at the intersection of Duke and East Queen streets to make a purchase Monday night. Within minutes of their arrival three men reportedly drove up in a white motor car and began shooting at them.
"I was just about to turn on the television in my office when I heard the shots. When we rushed outside we counted about 30 spent shells at the scene," Superintendent Carlton Wilson, the commanding officer for central Kingston, told The Gleaner Monday night.
The police theorised that shortly after the men had arrived, their killers were alerted by person(s) with cellular phones. In less than 10 minutes the gunmen launched their attack.
