‘Voice’ stops veteran reggae artiste from getting caught in Manchester shooting
Published:Thursday | December 28, 2023 | 12:11 AMNatrawn Wright/Gleaner Writer
Attendees were left in horror as Boxing Day ‘First Night’, a regular event held in Christiana, Manchester, ended with five people shot at what has been described as a gospel and reggae concert, which had reportedly been ongoing over a two-day period.
According to reports reaching The Gleaner, the event was under way at a location on Main Street in Christiana when two men on a bike rode up. The pillion passenger sprayed shots into the crowd, resulting in the injuries to the five individuals, including a woman.
Up to midday yesterday, a representative at the Christiana Police Station was unable to provide The Gleaner with an update on the incident, instead referring the newspaper to Superintendent Shane McCalla, commanding officer for the Manchester Police Division. McCalla’s phone, however, rang without an answer and no responses to messages left were received up to press time.
Veteran reggae artiste Dave McAnuff, also known as Macka Ruffin, who resides in Japan but hails from the community, and was back for the holidays, expressed his disappointment that the incident happened so close to his home.
“A voice just come to me a say mi nuh fi go due to the vibe and everything, you know, because mi little niece dem and everything out deh weh mi suppose to go see,” McAnuff told The Gleaner.
“But a spirit jus say mi no fi go and mi drop asleep, and inna di morning now, mi a hear say whole heap a man get shoot up. My yute dem a show me say dem tan up ‘bout 10 metres from which part it happen because two man jus’ come on pan a bike and it’s like who dem a look for dem see dem, and from dem see the man dem, dem just let go shot.”
He added: “And you know, I don’t even know if who dem a look for get shot, but other people get shot and a so you know, and all of this is what I’m talking about, a level of consciousness no matter what the crisis is ‘cause it’s vanity and vexation of spirit, so it must be about something where you have disrespect.
“So it’s the consciousness of respect and love to one another the whole world, the whole world a suffer from, that lack of consciousness. A Christiana mi come and when time mi say mi a go a di regular event a dis happen bredda, so mi haffi just go with the spirit and the voice weh a talk to the inner man.”