TWO MEMBERS of a gang, who the police believe are responsible for the abduction, rape and murder of two of three women in Greenwich Farm last Thursday, were shot and killed during a pre-dawn operation in OIympic Gardens, St. Andrew yesterday.
Dead are Oran White and Dennis Simmons, who were killed in separate incidents, in a section of the community known as Compound. The police said a 9-mm semi automatic pistol and a revolver were taken from the bodies of both men.
The police theorise that the women were victims of a feud between McKenley Crescent and Compound gangs. They were taken from a bar on First Street, Newport West, at 8:30 p.m. and taken to the Greenwich Town sewage treatment plant where they were raped by about 11 men and then thrown into the sewage main.
PRESUMED DEAD
Two of the women, identified as Simone Vernon and Catrina Webb, are presumed dead. The other woman escaped and reported the incident to the Hunts Bay Police.
Yesterday residents disputed police reports that the men were killed in a shoot-out. They claimed the men were killed in cold blood. They also claimed that the men were not part of any gang.
"We are satisfied who the persons involved are and we are now actively pursuing the others," Acting Deputy Superintendent, Michael Phipps, told The Gleaner last night.
The officer said that, contrary to media reports, Stephen Needham, the man was intercepted at the Norman Manley International Airport by immigration officers, was not an ex-policeman. He was formerly employed to the Transport and Repairs section of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
Needham, of a Greenwich Town address, was held in connection with the incident. He was captured while attempting to leave the country with false documents. DCP Phipps said the police are talking to Needham, and searching for Mark Johnson, also known as 'Moonie', whose gang they believe is behind the horrific crime.
