Cherry Tree Lane, Four Paths, is now overshadowed by fear of reprisal after a devastating mass shooting claimed eight lives during a birthday celebration. As residents mourn the loss of loved ones, the dread of further violence looms large, with fears of an all-out war ignited by the bloodshed. The community, already traumatised by the massacre, is now under curfew as authorities work to prevent a potential cycle of vengeance, leaving residents on edge and uncertain about the future.

Bloodbath

Merriment turns to massacre as marauders run amok at Clarendon party

Jamaica Gleaner/13 Aug 2024/Olivia Brown/Gleaner Writer 

AS THE sun rose on Monday, incomplete bingo cards, discarded food, and abandoned drinks lay scattered, a stark reminder of the merrymaking in Four Paths, Clarendon, that turned to horror following a deadly gun attack.

Daybreak marked the end of a harrowing, sleepless night as shellshocked residents of the rural community emerged, still reeling from the mass shooting that claimed eight lives and left 10 others wounded just hours before.

Wails of agony pierced the air and a cloud of gloom blanketed the community as curious residents gathered near the car wash and bar along Cherry Tree Lane, where a birthday party was in full swing before terror struck minutes before 9 o’clock on Sunday night.

Debbie-Ann Hamilton-Francis was inconsolable as she grieved the loss of her daughter Kavel Daley, a 27-year-old therapist; husband Lawrence Francis, a 50-year-old construction worker; and cousin Courtney Messam in the attack.

“Oh, God! I can’t bear it! It too much! Jesus, mi a dead inside,” Francis wept as two residents tried to console her.

“Courtney eye shoot out. Dem shoot out Courtney eye,” she wailed, referring to her deceased cousin.

Also killed in the massacre was seven-year-old Aiden Bartley, the youngest among the fatalities, who was shot in his neck and arm.

In a statement, t he Four Paths Primary and Infant School described his murder as sad and gruesome.

“Aiden was such a pleasant and well-mannered student who interacted well with both students and staff. We will miss Aiden greatly. We pray for his immediate family during this very difficult time.

“We continue to pray for the protection of our communities and that the criminals who committed this heinous act will be brought to swift justice,” the statement said.

The other victims were cashier Diamond Bennett, 20; Errol Stewart, 58-year-old butcher; 32-year-old Jermaine Boothe; and a woman identified only as ‘Margaret’. They were all of Cherry Tree Lane addresses.

PLANNED ATTACK

According to reports, a white Toyota Axio drove up to the car wash, where the party was being held, and three men alighted from the vehicle armed with rifles and handguns, and opened fire at the patrons.

When the shooting subsided, young Aiden and three others were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others pronounced dead at hospital.

The police say the gunmen then drove off in the direction of the May Pen bypass, and on reaching another section of Cherry Tree Lane, they stopped at another gathering, where two men exited the vehicle and again opened gunfire before fleeing in the waiting vehicle.

Two men were fatally hit in the second shooting, bringing the grim toll to eight.

The 10 hospitalised victims were said to be in serious condition up to late Monday evening.

A one-year-old, who was shot in the shoulder, is among those nursing injuries, along with a 70-year-old woman.

One resident of Cherry Tree Lane said the massacre has robbed the area of any chance to return to its glory days.

The woman, who spoke with journalists on condition of anonymity, citing fear, said community folk have been on a trajectory to restore unity and that Sunday’s gathering to celebrate a resident’s birthday was part of their efforts to restore peace and unity in the community.

COMMUNITY SHAKEN

“Nobody expected this to happen. It shake up the whole community ‘cause baby died, baby get injured, pickney weh go school, man and woman died just the same. It sad,” she said.

“And the place a build up. You have more people living here now. Even a nice complex [is located] couple seconds away. Persons from all over come and building up dem nice house here now because there was a stigma here because of the same shooting business and rivalry, “she said, bemoaning that shadow now cast over the area.

Another resident said the bloody aftermath of the first shooting was heartrending.

“I saw bullet-riddled bodies, including that of the young boy, strewn along the roadway,”he said, before describing the stomachchurning scene.

He expressed fear of possible reprisals or an all-out war in the area, which is now under curfew.

“I dread that other people could lose their lives in a reprisal cycle,” said the man, who did not wish to be identified.

Four men were arrested on Monday after they were cornered and searched by the police just metres away from the deadly scene. The men were reportedly riding on two motorcycles and refused the police’s order to stop and were subsequently chased. At least one firearm was reportedly taken from them.

Investigators believe Sunday night’s attack could be a reprisal for a 2021 quadruple murder in Havanna Heights and that the attack could have been ordered from prison.

On Monday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness vowed that those responsible for the bloodshed would be brought to justice.

“I feel the pain and share the distress of the families, the community and, indeed, the entire Jamaica, and I also pray for the recovery of those who were injured. It is a criminal act, it is against our laws, it is an attack on public order. The intention was not only to harm the victims, [or] only to spread terror in the local community. This act was designed to spread terror in the nation,” he said.

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