Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
EXTORTION HAS reared its ugly head again, this time in White Horses, St. Thomas, on Monday, where two employees of Tank-Weld Metals were murdered on a work site.
Reports are that Guy Taffe, a 59-year-old supervisor, who has been with the company for 35 years, was found slumped behind the steering wheel of his white Ford Explorer with multiple gunshot wounds to the face, cheek, chest and abdomen.
Derrick Reid, another employee, was found dead about 40 yards away with a single bullet wound.
The police have theorised that both men were killed because of the non-payment of extortion money. It is understood that the police are now probing a suspect who was implicated in a similar offence recently.
"It shows how low we have sunk as a country. I hope that the police can find the people responsible and bring them to justice," said Bruce Bicknell, the managing director of Tank-Weld Metals.
NO INDICATION
Responding to the reports of extortion, Mr. Bicknell explained that Mr. Taffe did not indicate or give any impression that extortionists were targeting them in White Horses.
"I am assuming that it is extortion that he (Taffe) refused to participate in that caused his death. We don't tolerate or encourage extortion. We have never paid a dollar in extortion money to anyone and we will never," declared Mr. Bicknell.
This is the second report of extortion in St. Thomas in under a year. Last October, extortionists reportedly halted repair work on the Yallahs pipeline which was damaged during hurricanes Dennis and Emily last year.
- Additional reporting by Daraine Luton
