‘Wi did see dis a come’

There will be no roadblocks and ‘we want justice’ outrage for the death of four males, including a 17-year-old, whose lives fatally ended during an alleged gun battle with the police in Kingston yesterday morning.

The usual demonstrations associated with police killing of men from the inner city, according to residents from adjoining communities where the incident took place, will not be linked to the mortally wounded in yesterday’s firefight with state security personnel.

Dead are 17-year-old Daniel ‘Liza’ Rose, of Mark Lane; Romaine ‘Bones’ Lewis, of King Street; 19-year-old Steven Rochester, carpenter of Love Lane; and 44-year-old Garnel Jackson, of a New Haven, Kingston 20 address.

A police constable assigned to the Kingston West police division was shot and injured and, at the end of the gunfight, which transpired at about 1:30 a.m., five illegal guns, including two M-16 high-powered rifles were seized.

Information reaching The Gleaner is that, though the incident occurred in Kingston Central, a police team from neighbouring Kingston West division came to their colleagues’ assistance.

The police said the men were travelling in a white Toyota Isis seven-seater van.

“Wi did see dis a come,” a resident said.

“The 17-year-old weh name ‘Liza’, him a bad long time and dem nuh hear, dem want follow company and badness, see it deh, him go dead … . You want hear one a dem a beg the police fi spare dem life, so di police ask dem, so how dem want kill people?” a resident said.

Another resident told The Gleaner: “A nuh one or two or three dozen shot fire. A knockings and clappings like yuh hear pon di media say… . Dem ya likkle boy ya nuh easy, dem nah hear or wah, before dem go turn police or soldier.

“All him, me want know weh him a go,” the resident related about one of the deceased. “Mi frighten this morning when me hear fi him name.

“Weh (name redacted) boy a do deh so? Mi know ‘Liza’ dem cause fi dem name ever a call … dem deh all bout. But when me hear da next one deh, mi couldn’t believe.”

Another resident said: “Him (Liza) come from Spoilers originally and deh a land (Fletchers Land), a him a lead the pack. Him torment … . Him look young and me always a say why dem give that little boy bike fi ride … to how him torment sometime, him ride go up the road and ride come back down the road … all when light gone. My granny tell me say, when plantain want dead, it shoot … him did a move too jumpy … from him lef school when him a bout 15.”

According to residents, the climax of the shooting at King and Charles streets occurred in full view of persons who took cover and were watching from a distance.

“The amount a shot weh fire, shot nuh stop, cause dem a go round and round ‘til dem crash there so (pointing to the disabled vehicle). The gunfire sounded like incursion when dem a go for DuDus,” a resident added.

“This may lead to other friction, because the guns don’t belong to them. They are ‘gun bags’ and a system weapons, somebody may have to give account for, a name dem a try mek fi drive fear in a people,” a resident said.

The men who were killed had reportedly gone to carry out an attack in another section of the community when explosions were heard, which alerted the police team on patrol.

The residents told The Gleaner that the men were part of a gang, one of several in the space.

“Let me tell yuh, a nuh nothing weh de man dem a smoke, influence back a it, dem a run back a too much don, and too much hearsay and yes man … would you believe say a recently me link the likkle yute and every time me a talk to him, him laugh?” a resident said.

The Gleaner understands that the men had travelled to avenge a killing that took place on Friday. Further, The Gleaner was informed that they had been instructed not to carry out any attack.

“Di man dem tell dem don’t touch no road and mek the thing dem lock … dem lift up gun and say dem ago defend man, tek boosting and, see it … is like dem go give away dem life … mi nah put up no R.I.P.,” a resident told The Gleaner.

Superintendent Beresford Williams, commander for the Kingston Central division, said the dead men were part of a criminal gang known as Taliban, and confirmed that they had gone to “carry out a reprisal for a murder on Friday (May 3)”.

“There is a breakaway of the gang and the dispute was ongoing for some three years, which has caused several murders and, from indications, the latest attack was to reprise the murder,” Superintendent Williams noted.

One of the gunmen was reportedly removed from a housetop by the police, after hiding for more than an hour while the security forces combed several premises in search of gunmen.

The crime scene, which stretched across several roadways, inconvenienced several motorists and crippled several businesses along King Street because of almost an entire day of processing.

The Independent Commission of Investigation (INDECOM) is probing the killings.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com