Deadly mistake

The killing of two women and a man in Bounty Hall, Trelawny, yesterday morning has been described by the police as an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.

Twenty-four-year-old Daniel Williams, otherwise called ‘Alkaline’ of Bounty Hall; 25-year-old Shanielia Clarke, also of Bounty Hall, and 26-year-old Tachae Black, of Wakefield, Trelawny, were shot and killed at a premises located at Bounty Hall, known as Belgium.

Reports are that shortly after 1 in the morning, Williams and five other persons, including both women, were coming from a party when they received a call that a baby belonging to one of the women had fallen ill.

Transporting child to hospital

The woman then asked Williams to assist her in transporting the child to hospital, but Williams had reportedly consumed a large amount of liquor at the party. He decided to drive to Belgium to a friend who would assist him in driving the child to Falmouth Hospital.

They had just entered the yard where the relief driver lives when four men armed with high-powered weapons walked from behind a house in the yard, and sprayed the Voxy vehicle with all the occupants with bullets.

Williams, Clarke and Black were all killed, while three other women in their 20s received gunshot wounds and were admitted in critical condition.

Commanding officer in charge of Trelawny, Superintendent Carlos Russell, revealed that based on investigations the shooting stemmed from a gang conflict, and might have been carried out from men who travelled from another parish to Trelawny.

“This incident stemmed from some gang conflicts which are taking place in this space. The police are aware of the situation and we are following some strong leads,” he said.

Russell said the Voxy that the victims were travelling in was mistaken for another vehicle, and this led to them being killed.

The senior cop reassured the residents of Trelawny that every effort would be made to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The residents have condemned the incident.

Trelawny has now recorded three murders since the start of the year, and is the second parish in Jamaica, behind St James, to record a triple murder.