Alleged gunmen fatally shot, 4 others arrested in St Bess
Published:Sunday | January 30, 2022 | 12:12 AMHopeton Bucknor - Sunday Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Two unidentified gunmen were fatally shot in separate shooting incidents which occurred in the Newmarket and Thornton communities in St Elizabeth on Friday night into Saturday morning.
The police have also reported that two illegal firearms were seized in both incidents.
Reports are that about 10 p.m. on Friday, a team of officers attached to the Newmarket Police Station was on patrol along a stretch of roadway known as ‘Jackass Pass’, leading from Newmarket to Westmoreland, when they came upon five men.
Cornered by residents
The men reportedly opened fire on the police service vehicle. The fire was returned, resulting in one of the men being fatally shot, the police said.
His four cronies ran from the scene, but one was later cornered by residents in the area and handed over to the police.
The other three were held about 9 a.m. on Saturday while trying to make their escape in bushes back to Westmoreland.
In the other incident, which occurred between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday, the police said a team of officers from the division were carrying out a joint security operation at a premises in the Thornton community.
The lawmen said that upon approaching the location, one of the occupants, who is said to be of a Clarendon address, opened fire at them.
The fire was returned, and during the exchange, the man – who so far has only been identified as ‘Blacks’ – was shot and killed and an illegal firearm taken from him.
Both scenes were visited by teams attached to the Independent Commission of Investigations.
One police officer from the parish told The Sunday Gleaner that it was the norm for gunmen who reside in the neighbouring parish of Westmoreland to cross borders and carry out criminal activities, including armed robberies, and then make their way back to that parish.
“The police acted swiftly in apprehending these men, and also residents in the community assisted the police greatly, and this goes to show that joint cooperation between residents and the police to fight crime can reap success on any given day,”the officer stated.