Karate Georgie floored by son’s murder

Western Bureau:

Two weeks ago, storied ex-cop Clive ‘Karate Georgie’ Lawrence was in high spirits, having been presented with the Mayor of Montego Bay’s Special Award on Heroes Day for his service to St James over many years, building up a reputation as arguably the city’s most feared crime-fighter.

Fast-forward one week and the criminality he dedicated his working life trying to stamp out has reached his doorsteps, claiming the life of his 28-year-old son, Shawn Lawrence, on the weekend.

“I was so happy after the Heroes Day award and now look at this. My joy is now turned to sorrow,” said the man who was a household name in western Jamaica for decades. “There is hardly one family in this parish that has not been touched by this lawlessness.”

According to reports, the younger Lawrence was among partygoers at a location on Hart Street, in downtown Montego Bay, on Saturday, when two men armed with handguns opened fire at them.

While four persons were hit, Lawrence, who suffered bullet wounds to his groin and abdomen, died shortly after in hospital.

The elder Lawrence, who was at a barber shop in Montego Bay at the time of the shooting, was in proximity to another blazing gun attack in which a man was killed. When he got the news that his son was shot, he thought it was the same shooting and the caller was making a mistake.

WARNED To AVOID AREA

“I tried to tell the caller that I had visited a shooting scene and it was not my son. However, the caller told me there was another shooting nearby and my son was the victim,” said Lawrence. “I rushed to the hospital and when I got there, I realised it was him.”

Lawrence is disappointed that his son had defied his warning to avoid the location, which has been the scene of several shootings in recent weeks.

“I told him not to go into that area because it was not safe based on the number of shooting incidents that have been going on in and around the Hart Street area in recent weeks,” said Lawrence. “But you know of these youngsters today tend not to heed warnings, even when it is for their own good.”

He is grateful for the support he has been receiving since the tragedy.

“I have been getting hundreds of calls from many persons, including even persons who were criminals and I helped them to turn around their lives. Those persons listen to me and are better people today, but my own son is dead because he decided not to take my advice,” said Lawrence.

Despite several security initiatives, St James remains a hotbed of crime with 119 murders reported up to October 26, according to police data. This is a 41.7 per cent increase over the 84 recorded over the corresponding period last year. The parish has also seen a 22.2 per cent increase in shootings over last year, with 110 incidents reported between January 1 and October 26.

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com