Prominent MoBay businessman executed by shottas

Western Bureau:

The Montego Bay business community was thrown into mourning yesterday afternoon when prominent 52-year-old businessman Winston Chue, of a Westgate Hill address, was murdered gangland-style on Miriam Way in the downtown section of the western city.

According to reports, at approximately 1:50 p.m., Chue alighted from his vehicle in front of his under-construction building, where he sold and repaired truck parts, when he was attacked from behind by an unknown assailant, who fired several shots at his head. The killer then took Chue's licensed firearm and fled.

"We were inside the building when we heard about five or six shots, and when we rushed out, we saw him on the ground with his head covered in blood," said an employee, who asked not to be identified. "Jah know! Dem deal with the boss wicked."

A police patrol, which responded to the gunfire, rushed Chue to the Cornwall Regional Hospital, but by then, he had already died.

JACK OF ALL TRADES

Chue's death brings to six the number of persons killed in Montego Bay over the past 72 hours. Some 148 persons have been murdered in St James since the start of the year.

When The Gleaner visited the crime scene shortly after 2:30 p.m., several members of the slain man's family were at the location looking around in shock. Some of his friends, who rushed to the scene, described him as a "jack of all trades".

"This man was a jack of all trades - extremely talented. Once it was something mechanical, him just need to see it to fix it," said a truck driver. "Montego Bay mash up. A just murder everywhere!"

... 'The spate of killings must stop!'

T'Shura Gibbs, the president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, took the news of the killing of Winston Chue hard and was angry when expressing her desire to see an end to the ongoing carnage in the western city.

"The Chamber is angry about such a heinous act, and we must send our condolences to the family. We have asked the commissioner (of police) to come and address the Chamber, and he has agreed, but this spate of killings across Montego Bay and the island must stop!" said Gibbs. "We are seeing some activity in terms of increased security personnel across the parish, but what we want to see is results - criminals being brought to justice."

"We do understand that the Government's anti-crime initiative will take time, but we need more information and a timeline to be established so we can hold the Government accountable," added Gibbs.

Efforts to get a comment from members of Chue's family proved futile as according to one of his nephews, "right now, me too angry fi talk".

Chue's family owns several prominent businesses in the western city, which include The Consumer Meat Plus Supermarket and The Computer Depot.