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Woodstock residents want breakthrough in murder case

Published:Friday | July 3, 2020 | 12:20 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
The house where Donovan Davis was killed in Woodstock, St Ann.
The house where Donovan Davis was killed in Woodstock, St Ann.

Residents of Woodstock, near Claremont in St Ann, are eagerly awaiting a breakthrough in the June 21 murder of community member, 54-year-old farmer Donovan Davis.

Efforts on Wednesday to get an update from the St Ann police proved unsuccessful, but a resident of Claremont told The Gleaner that word on the ground is that nothing has changed since investigations began.

“Di people dem need fi know supp’m because we know him as a decent man,” he said.

Police reports are that Davis was at home with his 15-year-old daughter when a lone gunman entered the house through the back door leading to her room.

The gunman enquired of her the whereabouts of her father, and was escorted to another section of the house where Davis was doing repairs in a bathroom. When he opened the bathroom door, the gunman immediately opened fire, hitting Davis to the upper section of the body, before escaping.

Davis was rushed to the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The daughter was not harmed. The police later removed three empty spent casings and blood samples from the scene.

The killing further pushed to murder rate in St Ann for 2020 above that of last year.

Highest per cent increase

In the May release of the all-island crime statistics, St Ann showed the highest percentage increase on the island, that of 85.7 per cent, with 26 deaths being recorded for the period January 1 to May 10, 2020, as against 14 for the corresponding period last year.

There was also a 90 per cent increase in shootings, the figure moving from 10 to 19. There were also increases in robbery and rape, but break-in and larceny recorded decrease.

During a visit to the community by a Gleaner news team, residents described the deceased as a farmer who troubled no one, and expressed shock at his murder.

“Mi never even hear any gunshot,” one resident said. “A long time wi nuh have supp’m like dis nuh happen.”

The house where Davis was killed remains closed as his daughter has gone to live with relatives since the incident.