Marked for death

A hairdresser brutally attacked in downtown Kingston last Thursday died at the hands of a gunman who, it is theorised, mistakenly pumped bullets into her as she sat in front of a wholesale attired in clothing similar to their intended target’s.

The deceased woman, 41-year-old Nacola Grant of a Kingston 11 address, reportedly asked her attackers why she was being killed, but that did not stop the gunman, who continued to shoot before escaping on a motorbike.

The Gleaner understands that the target, who is aware that thugs from her east Kingston community of Dunkirk have made known their intentions to kill her because of an ongoing war between the Welly Skelly Gang and rivals on Water Street, was seated beside Grant minutes before the attack.

This is at least the second reported attack on her life in 2021 she has managed to escape unharmed, but others, including a four-year-old girl, have been injured or killed.

An eyewitness to Thursday’s attack, which occurred at the corner of Beckford Street and Matthews Lane, told The Gleaner that Grant has been styling hair at the location for about 20 years. Grant is reported to have held up her hands, asking in desperation: “Weh me do?”

“She nah no enemy out here. Something haffi come out a this. When mi hear the shot dem, mi haffi get flat on my box,” the eyewitness said of Grant.

Peers of Grant know the intended target, whose name The Gleaner will not publish because of the security concerns, and are aware of threats on the woman’s life.

Another woman said the hunted woman was spared death by mere moments.

“She (intended target) was out here, too. She was sitting right beside her and she get up because she get a call bout 15 mins after dem come,” said the witness.

“They were wearing the same colour top and jeans pants,” another said, corroborating the theory of mistaken identity.

A relative of Grant told The Gleaner that two children are now without a mother.

On Monday afternoon, householders on Water and Margaret streets stayed inside their homes as the threat level remained high.

A resident said that when the gangsters got wind that the wrong woman had been killed, they later unleashed gunfire on Wellington Street. Two days later, a Margaret Street woman was shot at while sweeping her yard.

“Dem say [name redacted] pay fi kill the (Welly Skelly) don mother after dem kill her son. Dem swear dem nah stop ‘til dem kill her,” another resident said.

On Friday, May 21, two women and a four-year-old girl sustained gunshot injuries during a drive-by while sitting on a corner on Water Street.

On Monday, The Gleaner saw the child, who has recovered.

Her mother said that the girl is scared amid the swirling violence.

“She traumatised whenever she hear gunshot,” the mother said.

However, the four-year-old has begun to dance again – a wish she nurtured while hospitalised with gunshot injuries to her leg.

The ongoing feud in the area dates back to 2019 when the targeted woman lost her son to gang violence in November of that year.

He was reportedly killed at a gas station at the corner of South Camp Road and Victoria Avenue.

The onslaught continued when the mother of the opposing gang leader was killed at the Big T restaurant at the corner of Wellington Street and Victoria Avenue in February 2021.

The police have since sought to maintain a presence on Victoria Avenue in the vicinity of the opposing streets, to prevent tit-for-tat shootings and murders.

Both the Kingston Eastern and Kingston Central police are aware of the ongoing bloodshed and have committed to thoroughly investigate the incidents.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com