The Lionel Town police process a crime scene in Clarendon where a fruit vendor and another man were shot. - Photo by Dwight Nelson

MAY PEN, Clarendon:

Food Vendors in Claren-don are now saying they are afraid to sell their goods in the parish for fear they may become the victims of crime.

The vendors voiced their concerns after Cypryan Dight, a 47-year-old food vendor from Top Hill, Junction, St Elizabeth became the latest addition to Clarendon's murder statistics.

Dight was gunned down by unknown assailants at a cookshop in Portland Cottage shortly after six o'clock Thursday evening.

Police reports are that he and another man, both from Top Hill, were in the Portland Cottage community selling produce when they stopped at a cookshop.

Shortly after, they ordered the food, a Toyota RAV4 drove up with two men on board. One of the men alighted from the vehicle and proceeded to the cookshop before opening fire, hitting Dight and the other man.

The men then escaped.

In stable condition

The injured men were taken to the Lionel Town Hospital where Dight was pronounced dead and the other man admitted in stable condition.

Vincent Powell, cousin of the deceased, who journeyed from St Elizabeth to the crime scene, told The Gleaner that Dight would go to Clarendon on Thursdays to sell his produce and leave on Saturdays.

"I had just spoken to him about an hour before he was killed and he told me that he was in Portland Cottage," said the distraught cousin.

Food vendors from other parishes, who have similar trade routes have expressed outrage at Dight's murder and are now fearful about the increasing closeness of violent crimes to them.

"Right now mi scared fi drive and sell inna Clarendon because the crime inna de parish get out of hand," said Clifford Wright, who journeys from Trelawny to sell produce in the parish.

"We just have to do our business because there is no alternative now," he added.

The police have ruled out robbery as a motive for Dight's death as no personal possessions had been taken from him.