Four sellers among six killed in St James since Friday
Published:Wednesday | December 4, 2019 | 12:33 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
St James remains under the gun with six persons slaughtered in the last four days despite a number of security initiatives meant to curb the parish’s runaway murder figures.
The latest victim has been identified as 28-year-old Oshane ‘Prince’ Gordon, who was shot dead while sitting in his yard at Salters Hill in the Amity Hall community on Monday night. Gordon’s common-law wife was shot in the incident.
Reports are that about 9:30 p.m., Gordon and his companion were sitting in their yard when they were ambushed by two armed men, who opened fire at them before escaping in nearby bushes.
“These are two good people, and I can’t understand why anyone would want to harm them,” a resident told The Gleaner yesterday.
“Salters Hill is a quiet area, and we don’t have any crime going on up here, so I don’t see why dem decide fi start it up yah now ... . The two people dem a operate dem little shop and was living nice,” the resident added.
Eighteen-year-old Kodie ‘Kodak’ Buckingham, a shopkeeper of Flower Hill; 35-year-old Leon Anthony Whittaker, labourer of Moor Park; 32-year-old Leonard ‘Kenroy’ Mais, a cookshop operator of Spot Valley district; 26-year-old Jason ‘Ryno’ Reid, a fruit vendor of Spot Valley; and an unidentified male, whose body was found in Lilliput, were also killed over the four-day period.
“While things have quieted down in downtown Montego Bay over recent weeks, we have been seeing increased criminal activities in other parts of the parish,” a police officer told The Gleaner yesterday. “St James is a tough parish to police ... .”
Up to November 30, St James, which is one of three western parishes under an ongoing state of emergency, recorded 137 murders, which is 42 more than the corresponding period last year.