Wed | Nov 13, 2024

Deliveryman in viral video killed in MoBay

Published:Saturday | May 4, 2024 | 12:10 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter

Despite pleading his innocence and distancing himself from an alleged crime in a widely circulated video, a St James deliveryman was cut down in a hail of bullets on Thursday night in the vicinity of the Barnett Street Fire Station.

The Gleaner understands that Randane ‘Rasta’ Vanhorne, 26, was shot by unknown assailants about 9:30 p.m., as he sat in his Toyota Corolla motorcar on Barnett Street in Montego Bay.

His attackers escaped in a waiting motorcar.

Vanhorne was transported to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where death was confirmed.

There is an amateur video of Vanhorne making the rounds on social media, with him staunchly refuting claims allegedly made by a social media blogger, that he was the getaway driver in a crime last month.

Our news team has been told by investigators that this is one of the lines of enquiry they are following as they probe the killing.

Vanhorne said in the video, “Morning, all who see this ya video and know me and know the line of work me do … dem kno say dat deh something deh dem a put up pon … know say nothing nuh go so, nothing nuh go so … even the day when dat deh accident or dat deh crime deh happen mi deh a work … so all who see this ya video weh mi a put up right now on mi status, and all who know mi and know mi nuh capable of dem deh type a something weh dem a put up unuh share this pon it .… share it pon everything … cause right now my life in jeopardy.”

He said his landlord also gave him notice because of the accusations.

“Mi landlord say mi afi leave because dem a say mi wanted, mi wanted fi wah me don’t know bout … dem a tell mi say mi a getaway driver for man mi deven know, places weh mi deven go,” Vanhorne said in the video recording.

“Mi just a call to the public, right now mi want everybody who see this video ya tek it and put it pon unuh status, tek and put it pon everything fi mek people share and put up it so it can go out deh, so the man weh put up mi picture and dem something deh pon … can tek off mi picture and can repost it and even apologise and mek people know ina public say this yute ya don’t have nothing fi do with it.”

Vanhorne said in the video that the ordeal had placed his life in jeopardy and he was uncomfortable.

“Mi can’t work good, mi can’t do nothing good … right now mi paranoid … so all who see this video from you can send out, from you can give mi a strength send out it to everybody unuh can send it out to … cause right now my life deh pon jeopardy just through people, people tell lie pon mi over something weh mi don’t know … Mi go police station, mi go Freeport (police station) … mi go Barnett Street (Police Station), mi go mi lawyer, right now a Area One mi a go ina mawnin ya … right now this thing well tragic and mi ina deep, deep trouble right now,” Vanhorne said.

The Gleaner was told by investigators that the crime in which Vanhorne was implicated by the blogger occurred in Irwin district.

He was accused of transporting now-deceased 23-year-old Brandon Campbell of a Pitfour district address to the Irwin community where he shot and injured someone.

Campbell was reportedly shot and killed by a firearm holder during the incident.

Investigations are ongoing.

As at April 20, the St James Police Division led all 19 police divisions in murders.

According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) serious crime statistics, 42 murders were recorded since the start of the year.

This represents a 16 per cent decline year-on-year.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com