Denise Clarke and Glenroy Sinclair, Staff ReportersAT LEAST four persons including a policeman, were killed by gunmen in separate incidents across the island between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Nonetheless, Deputy Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas, has described the Yuletide season this year as relatively peaceful when compared with the high incidents of crime reported over previous years.
He admitted that "one murder is still one murder too many," but pointed out that "in the past we would have up to eight murders within a 48-hour period".
The latest killings took place in the parishes of St. Catherine, St. Andrew and St. James.
Those killed have been identified as 17-year-old student, Tancisha Darlington, of Railway Lane, Spanish Town, St. Catherine; Marlon Baker, 23, of 100 Lane, off Red Hills Road, St. Andrew; Kevin Francis of Gaynor Lane, Salt Spring, St. James and 48-year-old Police Constable Rudolph Reid, formerly of the Montego Bay Police Station, St. James.
Reports are that the 17-year-old student was gunned down on Wednesday night about 10:30, near the intersection of Burke and Oxford Roads. It is alleged that she was attacked and killed by a lone gunman.
INTERCEPTED
In the case of Baker, police said he was driving a Honda CBR motor cycle registered 3428F on Wednesday afternoon, when on reaching the intersection of Red Hills Road and Sunrise Crescent, he was intercepted by a group of men who were travelling in an Acura Legend motor car. One of the men reportedly alighted from the car and shot him several times. The police said he was robbed of a chain he was wearing. He died while undergoing treatment at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).
There are allegations that Baker's death might be linked to a sum of money that was sent from overseas to be shared among a number of persons. At least one of his killers have already been identified by the police.
Meanwhile a policeman is one of two persons in St. James who died at the hands of gunmen during the Christmas holidays.
With just days to go before the end of the year, 48-year-old Constable Rudolph Reid, became the 13th police officer to be murdered since January. The other victim is Mr. Francis, a 24-year-old accountant at Sandals Montego Bay, who was shot and killed by gunmen on Christmas Eve.
LONE GUNMAN
Constable Reid succumbed to his injuries about 10:45 a.m. on Christmas Day, after being shot and injured on Tuesday, December 23. According to a Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) report, Constable Reid stopped his private motor car on the Salt Spring main road about 9 p.m., and exited the vehicle. He was reportedly pounced on by a man armed with a gun, who opened fire hitting him. Constable Reid managed to return the fire, but the Montego Bay police say there is no evidence that his attacker was hit.
Mr. Francis, who lived at Gaynor Lane, Salt Spring in St. James, was sitting in a parked car near his house when he was shot. A 23-year old woman of Norwood, also in St. James, was injured in the incident.
The CCN reported that about 9:30 p.m. the couple was sitting in a car on Gaynor Lane when they were held up by two men, one armed with a gun and the other with a knife. A struggle reportedly developed between Mr. Francis and the gunman, and shots were fired hitting him and his companion. Mr. Francis died before reaching the Cornwall Regional Hospital, while the woman was admitted in serious condition.
The general manager of Sandals Montego Bay, Horace Peterkin, has expressed shock and dismay at the passing of Mr. Francis, who he noted had an exemplary record at the hotel. The deceased man had been working there for seven years.
"While we mourn his passing, we encourage the police to make the solving of this case a swift priority, rooting out these criminal elements and bringing them to rapid justice," said Mr. Peterkin in a statement yesterday. Members of the Sandals team visited with Mr. Francis' family on Christmas Day and have arranged grief counselling for his co-workers.
