Five slain in 12 hours as west bleeds
Published:Thursday | September 8, 2022 | 12:12 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Five people were killed as gunmen went on a bloody 12-hour rampage spanning four separate locations in Westmoreland and St James on Wednesday.
Those killed have been identified as 25-year-old Crissanti Wilson, a shop operator of Saigon in Barrett Town, St James, and her common-law husband, who has been identified only as ‘Shabba;’ 23-year-old Orlando Evans and 34-year-old Winston Casanova, both of Negril addresses; and the fifth man, only identified as ‘Smith’ up to late yesterday.
The murders are believed to have been sparked by a combination of domestic-related issues and gangland conflicts, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Clifford Chambers, the commander for the police’s Area One, which covers St James, Hanover, Westmoreland and Trelawny.
The bloodletting started at approximately 12:10 a.m. in Barrett Town, when armed men gained entry to the house occupied by Wilson and her common-law husband and shot them multiple times, killing them on the spot.
“The one (shooting) in Barrett Town, this was a domestic incident, which led to that killing. We have reason to believe that the female was involved with one person, who has been identified as the shooter,” said Chambers.
At approximately 9 a.m., Evans and Casanova were among a group of persons at a bar in Red Ground, Negril, when men travelling in a motor car pulled up alongside them.
The occupants alighted from the car, brandishing handguns and opening fire, hitting Casanova, Evans, and two other persons before fleeing the scene.
All four persons were rushed to the hospital, where Casanova and Evans were pronounced dead. The injured man and woman were admitted.
Chambers said that investigators are looking at two leads in relation to this incident.
“It occurred as the result of the lifestyle of one of the persons shot and injured,” he said. “That person is a violence producer; he has been a subject of several police operations. He was apprehended, he was arrested, he has been charged, and is presently reporting on condition of bail at the police station.”
While the police were processing that Negril scene, they were alerted to another shooting in Grange Hill about 10:30 a.m., as gunmen killed one man and injured another.
Minutes later, there was yet another call. This time it was a man who was injured in a shooting incident in Gratto, Savanna-la-Mar.
Since the start of the year, St James has recorded 143 murders while Westmoreland has had 103.