Calm returning to Gregory Park after Big Red killing

Residents traumatised by warring factions in Gregory Park have lauded the vigilance of the St Catherine South police since the demise of Kirk ‘Big Red’ Wint, who was wanted for several murders and shootings, including that of Sergeant Averel McCollin, who was gunned down while playing dominoes in a yard on Cottage Drive last September.

An image from Wint’s nine-night went viral last Saturday afternoon, brazenly displaying a Glock 19 and Taurus handgun, two of the most revered weapons among gunmen, alongside three bottles of white rum and ammunition.

A memorial T-shirt bearing Wint’s image, in addition to other funeral paraphernalia, was laid out on what appeared to be a domino table with zinc fences in the background.

Wint was cornered on Friday, October 7, by members of St Catherine South’s special operations team in his ‘Banga Gully’ stronghold where residents said he ran amok as an extortionist and launched attacks on rival gangs from ‘Gulf’, ‘Mexico’, and Clarks Lane, according to police sources.

A source from the area told The Gleaner that Wint, also known as ‘Peppa’, played his last hand after attempting to rape a minor in the area, further infuriating residents, whose cooperation is believed to have led to the cops cornering him in an area where he was previously elusive.

Wint, the source said, had extorted shopkeepers in the Banga Gully area of Christian Pen and waged war on rival gangs, prompting reprisals, which residents said led to deaths and the creation of borders.

Since Wint’s death, the St Catherine South police have maintained a presence in the area, including acting on information about the alleged nine-night.

“That image was probably taken earlier in the day because when we got there, they had already dispersed. No one was around,” said Superintendent Hopton Nicholson, acting divisional commander.

“Our presence in Gregory Park is continuous and around the clock, not only in Gregory Park but across the entire division. Our aim is to ensure citizens are safe and opportunities for criminals reduced,” Nicholson added.

The cops’ presence has since led to some semblance of normality for residents, who have been able to conduct business and participate in recreational activities.

On Thursday, August 4, eight houses were firebombed in Gregory Park and a man killed in a police shoot-out when the team that was responding to the arson attacks came under fire from gunmen while in the Dyke Road area.

Four high-powered rifles and a handgun were seized in that incident, the second time in as many days that criminals had torched homes in the area.

Two days earlier, three houses were firebombed in the community while gunmen traded bullets.

ainsley.walters@gleanerjm.com