Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
Attendants of Madden's Funeral Home removing the bodies from a triple murder scene at Newton Square in east Kingston yesterday.
THREE MEMBERS of a household were killed execution style while they slept early yesterday morning in a six-bedroom house at Newton Square, popularly known as 'Dunkirk', in east Kingston.
Dead are 16-year-old Andre Moncrieffe, a student of Vauxhall High School, Marvin Jacobs, 31, alias 'Clint', and his 19-year-old girlfriend, Ingrid Wright. Jacobs and his girlfriend were embraced when the gunmen struck.
Yesterday's incident forced the cancellation of a tour by several government agencies, which had planned to visit the area which had been under siege from gunmen during the past three weeks.
The group, which included representatives from the ministries of national security, labour and health; the Office of the Prime Minister; and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund had planned to meet with residents to implement programmes to correct the social ills in the community.
SOCIAL PROJECTS TO FIGHT CRIME
This initiative is, apparently, to be funded from the $200 million social fund announced by National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips during this year's Sectoral Debate in Parliament. The fund is intended to undertake social projects to complement crime-fighting activities.
"I am very sorry, because of the murders this morning, we have to cancel the tour until a later date," Deputy Superintendent Noel Christie told the group.
But a disappointed Patricia Ball from the Office of the Prime Minister bemoaned the inability of the government agencies to implement social intervention programmes to improve the lifestyles of inner city residents because of the ongoing gang violence.
Pointing to the triple murder, some residents blamed members of the security forces for the tragedy. It is alleged that a joint police/military team, while policing that section of the community Tuesday night, chased a number of persons off the streets but did not remain in the area all night.
"If dem neva run we offa de street, people woulda see de bwoy dem when dem a come," said a resident from the community.
According to the police at 4 a.m., a group of gunmen kicked open the door to the six bedroom house and murdered the occupants. The police have linked the killings to the ongoing feud between rival gangs in the area.
The triple murder brings to six the number of persons who have been killed in the area in the past four days.
OTHERS KILLED
Elsewhere on the crime scene, the police in St. Andrew South, Spanish Town and Constant Spring were kept busy yesterday, as gunmen struck at separate intervals, killing four persons. Two men were slain in the Bowens Road area of St. Andrew South (SAS) yesterday afternoon. Two others were killed in the hotbed of Homestead, Spanish Town, St. Catherine North police division.
These killings have pushed the country's homicide count to 1,060. This figure is 184 more murders than were committed in the corresponding period last year. Since the start of the month, 65 persons have been killed.
