St James hit by yet another murder

Western Bureau:

One man was shot dead in the rural Dumfries community and another man shot and injured at the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay on Tuesday as gunmen continue to defy the efforts of the security forces to bring order to St James via the ongoing state of public emergency (SOE).

The latest killing brings to 60 the number of persons murdered in St James since the start of the year, while non-fatal shootings have surged past 60.

In the latest killing, 23-year-old Jenardo Buckley, a labourer of Dumfries, was found dead inside an abandoned shop in the community shortly after 6 a.m. with multiple gunshot wounds. He was last seen alive by his sister at about 11 p.m. on Monday.

Dumfries, which was once a quiet community, has been rocked by a number of murders in recent times as lottery scamming has taken hold in the community, leading to the formation of gangs and a subsequent battle for turf.

“Things are steadily getting out of hand, the violence we use to leave in Montego Bay at the end of our workday is now in our community and people are now being killed,” a resident of the community told The Gleaner. “We are hoping that the security forces will move into the community because while we are in the rural parts, we are still a part of St James.”

In the incident at Charles Gordon Market, which occurred shortly after 8 a.m., a male vendor was standing at a section of the market known as ‘Trainline’ when he was accosted by two men armed with handguns. The vendor ran but was chased by the men, who fired shots at him.

The vendor, who was hit, fell near the entrance of the market. He was rushed to hospital by a police/military patrol, which responded to the shooting. Two motor vehicles were hit by bullets, shattering the windshield of the vehicles and the door of the other.

“Everybody haffi run, vendors run lef dem stall, people run lef dem basket, people run lef dem car, and people all drop dem money and run, “ said a vendor who witnessed the incident.