Stolen gun dispute linked to three Sav murders
Published:Friday | October 2, 2020 | 12:15 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
A dispute over an illegal firearm is believed to be the cause of the shooting deaths of two men and a woman and the injuring of a second woman in a spate of shootings on Wednesday in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.
Those killed have been identified as 33-year-old juice vendor Wayne ‘Papa Flex’ Jamieson; 23-year-old Rojay ‘Dadda Man’ Reid; and 24-year-old Antonica Wedderburn, all of the Hudson Street area of Savanna-la-Mar. The injured woman, who is also from the same area, has been admitted to hospital.
Five persons suspected to be involved in shootings have been taken into custody by the police, and indications are that they could be charged for murder, shooting, and illegal possession of firearms.
Earlier this week, a gang feud reportedly developed in the Hudson Street area, also known as ‘Russia,’ after it was alleged that two young men had stolen an illegal firearm from gang members in another section of the community.
At about 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a group of gangsters went in search of the men in a bid to retrieve the stolen firearm. After combing sections of the community, they saw Jamieson, a relative of one of the men they were searching for. The men opened fire at him, and he fell dead beside the bicycle he was riding.
At about 6:50 p.m., a group of armed men, said to be Jamieson’s relatives, went to another section of the community, where they cornered Reid, who was linked to the earlier murder, cutting him down gangland-style in a hail of bullets.
During that incident, Wedderburn and the other female, who were standing nearby, suffered gunshot wounds.
The police then carried out an operation in the community of Hudson Street and arrested five of the alleged gang members.
“All three murders are most unfortunate, but I am especially reaching out to the families of the slain female who was just an innocent bystander,” Superintendent Robert Gordon, the commanding officer for Westmoreland, told The Gleaner. “ ... The police were swift in locking down the community and taking several major players into custody.”
He said the police were in search of more persons and asked the public to pass on any information that could help the police.
Since the start of the year, Westmoreland has recorded 51 murders, which is 14 fewer than the 65 over the comparative period last year.