as East Kgn party goes on without permit ...
Eight shot, two dead
Published:Sunday | November 24, 2019 | 12:47 AMNadine Wilson-Harris - Staff Reporter
Police in east Kingston are cautioning event promoters to ensure they secure permits for their events, following a midnight attack that saw eight people shot, two of them fatally, as they partied on a rooftop in Bayshore Park near Harbour View, St Andrew, yesterday.
According to investigations, the eight persons were at the event on Talmania Avenue, when masked gunmen entered and opened fire at the crowd. Head of the Kingston East Police, Superintendent Victor Hamilton, has since confirmed that a permit had not been granted for the event. Police were still trying to ascertain the identity of the victims up to yesterday evening.
“Persons must respect the rule of law. If the police doesn’t grant a permit, it is because we think that the area is not safe and we think persons gathering in such groups could expose themselves to danger, as was manifested last night,” Hamilton told The Sunday Gleaner.
“We thought the area was tense, there were some tensions, there was a potential for drive-bys or some attack on persons in groups, and that is exactly how it was played out.”
The shooting is believed to be an act of reprisal following an incident last Sunday in which 16-year-old Justin Foster was shot by unknown assailants in the same community while at his gate.
The East Kingston police have been kept busy all week with the implementation of curfews following flare-up of gun violence in Southside and off Windward Road, which left multiple persons dead. Superintendent Hamilton said a permit could not be granted for any dance in Harbour View because the area was considered unsafe.
As the Yuletide season gets under way, he said the possibility of more reprisal killings exists and has cautioned patrons to be vigilant while trying to enjoy themselves.
“While Christmas is coming, there are a lot of killings and a lot of angry persons out there waiting for an opportunity to catch persons partying,” he said.
“We are not trying to shut down people’s lives or for them not to enjoy themselves, but they, too, have a responsibility to protect their lives. So after we have stabilised the communities, the parties will go on, after we have caught the gunmen, or we have displaced them, the parties will go on, but as long as we feel that they are still in the area and as long as the threat of reprisals is there, we cannot give permits,” he warned.
The Major Investigation Division is currently leading the probe into the shooting.