Former Cornwall College football star murdered in MoBay

WESTERN BUREAU:

Montego Bay was plunged into mourning on Wednesday night when a member of a victorious Cornwall College daCosta Cup football team was shot and killed when gunmen sprayed his vehicle with bullets in the Catherine Hall section of the western city.

Dead is 22-year-old Leonardo ‘Nardo’ Murray, a customer service representative of a Catherine Hall Housing Scheme address. A 36-year-old woman who was in the vehicle with Murray also suffered multiple gunshot wounds but survived the attack.

“It is yet another sad chapter in the life of Montego Bay. It is hard to understand why anyone would kill a promising youngster like this,” said Cornwall College old boy Craig Oates. “He was an excellent footballer who represented Cornwall College at all levels, starting from Under-14.”

According to reports, about 8 p.m., Murray and his 36-year-old companion were travelling in a silver Voxy minibus from the direction of the Catherine Hall Housing Scheme towards the main road when another vehicle pulled up alongside them and occupants opened gunfire on his vehicle.

“Wi see de Voxy bus drive outta the scheme and it slow down a di roundabout and another car pull up beside it and a bwoy step out and start buss shot pon the Voxy,” said an eyewitness to the incident. “De Voxy drive off and crash inna the complex wall and de car drive weh.”

Having been alerted, the police found Murray and the woman inside the bus suffering from gunshot wounds. They were rushed to Cornwall Regional Hospital, where Murray was pronounced dead and the woman admitted in serious condition.

Murray’s death brings to four the number of persons murdered in St James over the past two weeks. This year’s death toll in the parish now stands at 118.

St James is one of three western parishes now under a state of public emergency.