Vendor killed at bus stop near Cement Company
Published:Tuesday | April 30, 2024 | 12:57 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
THE JAMAICA Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Eastern Kingston Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is probing the death of a vendor who was killed allegedly by a man travelling in a motorcar during a daring attack yesterday morning.
Up to press time, the deceased man was still unidentified.
The deadly shooting incident occurred about 7:50 a.m. along the Sir Florizel Glasspole Highway at a stall which is located under a bus stop adjacent to the Carib Cement Company’s main entrance.
Explosions were heard and the police summoned to the location where they reportedly found the vendor lying in a pool of blood.
An investigator told The Gleaner that the police are following several leads, one of which our news team understands is that a car drove up on the opposite side of the road and a male occupant, who was shirtless, disembarked and approached the victim.
Explosions were reportedly heard after what appeared to have been a brief discussion.
The Gleaner gathered that the man who had engaged the vendor and is believed to have committed the shooting, returned to the motor vehicle and it sped off in the direction of Harbour View.
Sources close to the probe are of the view that the shooter had disguised himself as a customer.
The Gleaner understands that the spot, which had long been a vending location catering to workers of Carib Cement Company and nearby establishments, was vacant for sometime after the original operator, a female, was gunned down a year ago.
“It’s a stall where cement factory workers especially would get little snacks and thing ... no matter what shift, you don’t have to walk far to get something. A same way they killed a woman dem call ‘Bikey’ right there and the spot was vacant for a while ... what’s so special about that spot. It was a surprise to come here this morning and see police tape off the place,” a usual customer of the victim told The Gleaner.
The East Kingston Police Division has seen a five per cent reduction in murders as at April 20 this year.
At the same time last year there were 19 murders, compared to 18 this year.
Shootings, however, have increased in the division by seven per cent year-on-year.