WESTERN BUREAU:

Four persons were wounded by gunmen in two cases of shooting in Trelawny and St. James between Tuesday night and yesterday morning.

The most recent victim is a security guard who was wounded during a failed robbery attempt by four gunmen at Super Value Supermarket on Market Street in Falmouth, Trelawny.

He has been admitted to hospital in stable condition.

"The merchants in this area have asked for police protection around here, but what the police do is that they concentrate on Bend Down (market) every Wednesday, so we have become vulnerable," commented Baxter Sinclair, general manager of Sinclair's Bargain Centre. "The Trelawny police are trying their best, but they need more resources."

According to reports, four armed men entered the supermarket about 10:30 a.m. and proceeded to rob the occupants. The security guard challenged them and one of the gunmen opened fire at him before fleeing the scene with a cellular phone.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Alanzo D. Medley, administrative officer for Trelawny, described the incident as "unfortunate".

Room for Improvement

"Police are dispatched strategically in the commercial district but there is always room for improvement and we will be looking at ways to avoid a reoccurrence," DSP Medley said.

Over in Montego Bay, three persons, including a 16-year-old boy, were shot and injured by gunmen, opposite the Goldfinger Hotspot, a popular exotic nightclub, on Tuesday night.

Investigators say they are pursuing several leads into the incident in which the teenager is believed to have been the target.

The police say that, about 8:30 p.m., the boy was among a group of persons standing at a shop when a man approached him. There was a heated exchange after which the man pulled a handgun and fired several shots.

The injured persons were taken to hospital where one remains nursing gunshot wounds to the buttocks and abdomen.