Rifles among five-gun seizure in Salt Spring

WESTERN BUREAU:

A man is in custody and three AR-15 rifles and two Smith & Wesson handguns are off the streets of St James, as the security forces continued their war of attrition in weapon seizures.

The guns were found Tuesday afternoon in inner-city Salt Spring, where there has been a flare-up of violent crime in recent months.

The finds, which included a large cache of assorted ammunition, are the first ‘jackpot’ for the new acting commanding officer of the parish, Superintendent Carlos Russell. Seventy-eight illegal guns have been seized in St James since the start of the year.

According to Russell, a police-military team was on foot patrol in the Go Peace Lane area of the community when a group of suspicious-looking men ran on their approach. In pursuit of the men, four firearms were found during a search of the area.

Russell said a follow-up operation also resulted in one man being arrested after he was held with a firearm.

The weapons, Russell theorised, appeared to have just been removed from plastic wrapping.

“These guys have the resources, and they consistently purchase these high-powered weapons, and we continue to seize them because we want to ensure that citizens of Salt Spring and the wider St James are safe,” he told The Glean er.

The acting commanding officer said the police were on a routine walk-through and intervention.

“The target was the gangs and guns, and the operations will continue in the parish until a dent is put in crime,” Russell said.

Gang violence in St James has reached crisis proportions, with deadly attacks like the late May Rose Heights mass shooting triggering fresh fears.

Russell is appealing to citizens to cooperate with the police by calling 311 or any police station with information.

Meanwhile, the Metro Quick Response Unit assigned to the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch seized three firearms and arrested three men following a shooting incident on Orange Street, downtown Kingston, Tuesday evening.

The team was reportedly on patrol when they responded to explosions in the area. After an exchange of gunfire, one man was arrested at the scene and the firearms, along with a quantity of ammunition, seized. Two of the men later turned up at hospital with gunshot wounds.