Above Rocks rattled as alleged strongman killed

The Above Rocks police in St Catherine are maintaining a close eye on sections of the community following two murders less than 24 hours apart on Saturday which are believed to be connected.

Both incidents have reportedly shattered the relative calm the Parks Road community has enjoyed for some time.

Reputed area leader Garfield Wynter, aka ‘Nachie Berry’, was killed hours after his flight to Jamaica.

About 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, the police were called to the scene of a murder in Retirement district where Wynter, a community strongman, was found suffering from gunshot wounds.

Wynter was reportedly seen in the front passenger seat in a pool of blood.

Residents said that Wynter flew to Jamaica from New York on Friday.

Wynter’s murder prompted dancehall artiste Chronic Law to publicly address the concerns of fans who saw a viral video and thought that it was the entertainer who was killed.

A resident told The Gleaner that Wynter had attended the round robin to lend support, as his own event, also a round robin, was being promoted for July 24.

Detectives were again summoned to the area at 6:25 p.m. on Saturday, where two men were shot, one fatally.

The dead man has been identified as 69-year-old Benjamin ‘Pampers’ Myers, construction worker of Barnett district in Above Rocks.

Reports are that Myers and the injured man were at an establishment playing games when two men reportedly alighted from a vehicle and opened fire.

Both men were taken to hospital, where Myers was pronounced dead and the other man admitted.

JCF data show that murders in St Catherine North, where Above Rocks is located, have fallen by four per cent, from 55 to 53, year-on-year up to June 28.

Shootings have plummeted 36 per cent from 55 in 2020 to 35 for the corresponding period this year.

Overall, Jamaica’s murder toll has climbed by four per cent, from 663 to 692, while shootings have slipped by two per cent from 613 to 603.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com