‘Al’ was no gangster - Family members reject link between murdered relative and ‘Dog Paw’
Published:Saturday | February 3, 2018 | 12:00 AMCorey Robinson
Relatives of Randy 'Al' Evans, one of two men whose funeral received special attention from the police in August Town, St Andrew, last Sunday, have rejected claims that he was a known gang member.
The relatives have also denied that he was killed for failing to carry out orders issued by incarcerated gangster, Christopher 'Dog Paw' Linton.
"That was a lie. My brother was not a gangster. When my brother died he was an operation manager at Quest Security. He used to be a fireman, he used to work at King Alarm.
"At no time had any police ever come and question him," said Peta-Gaye Evans.
She said her brother lived in Tavern, which is metres from August Town, and the area has been tense since his killing as residents do not know why he was murdered, as he was known as a law-abiding citizen.
"They are afraid because of the person who my brother was. Nobody expected them to kill Al like that, because everybody in the community loved Al. Sunday at the funeral, literally everybody was crying," said Peta-Gaye.
"He was a people person and he always wanted peace in the community. He got a lot of jobs for a lot of people. He used to be a part of the club, Tavern for Peace and Prosperity. He was the first president of that club," she continued, as she added that Evans died leaving four children, with the youngest being eight and the oldest 15.
The police kept a heavy presence in August Town last Sunday where funerals were held for two men.
Several residents had expressed fear that there could be reprisals for either of the killings on the day of the funerals, and linked the fatal shooting of four persons less than 48 hours before at the Happy Corner Bar to friends of one of the dead men.
It is alleged that the four were killed as part of a feud involving men from an area in August Town called 'Jungle 12' and the section known as 'River'.
Last Friday, Inspector Steven Taylor told The Sunday Gleaner that no arrests have been made in connection with either Evan's killing or that of the four persons gunned down at the bar.
"There are no leads. We are getting information but we are still getting more information because a lot of time information is given and it is just to distract you," said Taylor. "As for Evans, it is a cause of concern because we are looking into reprisals."
Taylor said police have been combing August Town, Hermitage and Tavern since last week for alleged gangsters, and that may have been the reason gunfire has been at a lull since last week.