- Norman Grindley/Staff Photographer
Members of the Special Anti-Crime Task Force took cover yesterday afternoon, during a shoot-out with heavily armed gunmen in Arnett Gardens, south St. Andrew. There were no reports of casualties.
Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
AN EX-POLICEMAN and his girlfriend were among the latest murder casualties yesterday, as the blood-letting continued unabated across the island.
Reports reaching The Gleaner are that the couple's bodies were found with multiple gunshot and knife wounds in a white Nissan Sunny motor car along Bloomsbury Avenue, off Hagley Park Road, St. Andrew.
According to the police, Sheldon Stewart, an ex-detective sergeant, was discovered in a pool of blood on the back seat of the car, with gunshot wounds. His female companion, who up to press time was unidentified, was found in the front seat with a number of slashes over her body.
Preliminary investigations suggest the slashes might have been inflicted by the pieces of broken glass that were found inside the vehicle. While the motive for the killings remains a mystery, the police have reason to believe the couple might have been killed in the vicinity of 83 Waltham Park Road and the bodies taken in the car to Bloomsbury Avenue.
"Bloodstains were found at 83 Waltham Park Road, linking the scenes," said an officer who is close to the investigation.
INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE
The police said the vehicle with the bodies was spotted by a passer-by who alerted the residents. Investigators are yet to establish how the couple came in contact with their killers. It is uncertain as to whether they were kidnapped or held up at some point.
Mr. Stewart, who served the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for about 12 years, tendered his resignation last year. During his tenure in the JCF he served at the Narcotics and Kingston Central divisions.
Between Thursday afternoon and yesterday morning, at least six persons were shot and killed in separate incidents. Since January, more than 1,214 persons have been murdered, including 24 over the past five days.
In Braeton, St. Catherine, the police have intensified their investigations into another shooting incident that occurred in that Portmore community Thursday night. Six persons were shot, one fatally, at the corner of Braeton main road and Number 3 Lane.
Police identified the dead man as Dwayne Dawes. Reports are that at about 11:30 p.m., the six men were at a house playing dominoes when they were attacked by a group of armed men. Dawes succumbed to his injuries, while the others have been hospitalised.
Also on Thursday, gunmen struck in the Chancery Street/ Red Hills Road area, killing 44-year-old Michael Heholt, who it is said was a witness in a court matter. The Gleaner has learnt that Mr. Heholt was returning home from court when he was killed. He was facing ganja-related charges.
And over in St. James, the parish registered yet another murder on Thursday night - its 109th since the start of the year - when a taxi operator was shot dead by unknown assailants on Montrose Road in the Coral Gardens area of Montage Bay. The dead motorist has been identified as 42-year-old Aston Henry Harris, a resident of Coral Gardens, which is sandwiched between the upscale residential communities of Ironshore and Rose Hall.
